An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Something big?” Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

His sharp eyes swept over the man before him. He could tell that Chu Kui had recently cleansed himself with spells, yet a strong stench of blood and killing intent still lingered around him like smoke clinging to burned silk. Clearly, he had been on quite a killing spree lately. For someone like him to describe something as ”big” meant it was indeed far from trivial.

”Go on, I’m listening,” Luo Chen said evenly.

Chu Kui visibly relaxed. If Luo Chen was willing to hear him out, there was hope. He didn’t bother with subtleties and said directly, ”I’m thinking that you and I join forces to hunt down Sword Sect cultivators and the opposing alliance to claim the Upper Path Core Formation secret art offered by the Falling Cloud Sect!”

At that, Luo Chen’s response came with a soft laugh and a shake of the head. ”Do you even know how many merit points that requires?”

”I do,” Chu Kui answered with confidence. ”A thousand Qi Refinement cultivators, or a hundred Foundation Establishment ones. If we focus on late-stage targets, it’ll go even faster. Pretty simple, I’d say.”

”Simple, huh?” Luo Chen laughed harder, pointing at him. ”If it’s so simple, why come to me?”

Helplessness flashed in Chu Kui’s eyes. Of course, it was easy to speak of such things but to accomplish them was another matter entirely. Even within the chaos of battle, there were unspoken rules that every sect understood: king against king, general against general, soldier against soldier.[1] High-tier cultivators were simply too destructive. The difference in cultivation realms wasn’t something that could simply be bridged; it was a vast and uncrossable chasm.

If a late-stage Initiate truly abandoned restraint and went on a rampage among Qi Refinement cultivators, it would be a slaughter, like a tiger thrown into a herd of sheep. In truth, even early-stage Initiates could cut down dozens of Qi Refinement cultivators with ease. Naturally, the Adepts would never allow such chaos to unfold. If that line were crossed, Initiates could prey on Qi Refinement cultivators, Adepts on Initiates, and then Sages would join the bloodbath to prey on Adepts. In the end, both sides would be left with nothing but empty hills and lone generals commanding armies that no longer existed. At that point, what meaning would war even hold?

That was why the rules had been drawn so clearly that battle was to remain between peers. Initiates were forbidden to massacre those of the Qi Refinement Realm. For someone like Chu Kui, facing another Foundation Establishment cultivator posed little challenge. But hunting over a hundred of them was a feat far beyond easy talk. Worse still, there was always the scourge of ”kill-stealing.” He could spend great effort bringing an opponent to the brink of death, only for a few opportunistic sect disciples to swoop in, land the final strike, and claim the merit. Such was the bitter lot of a rogue cultivator, and he had no place to voice his frustration.

Watching the flicker of frustration cross Chu Kui’s face, Luo Chen’s smile gradually faded. In a calm voice, he said, ”To be honest with you, Brother Chu... In a few months, I’ll be leading my people to the rear lines. Once that happens, all of this will be behind me.”

Chu Kui’s expression darkened, disbelief flickering in his eyes. ”That’s impossible! The Ice Fortress has the fewest vassals and lacks cannon fodder. You think they’ll let the Luo Tian Society withdraw?”

In response to the doubt, Luo Chen simply shook his head. ”I’m a guest elder of Ice Fortress now. My standing is no lower than that of a Golden Core Adept. If I request to take a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators with me, they’ll grant the permission.”

Chu Kui opened his mouth and had nothing left to say. Of course, the name Dan Chenzi hadn’t been built through brute strength or bloodshed. It was forged by his mastery of alchemy. Any major sect would gladly extend courtesy to someone like that. The very fact that someone like Luo Chen had ended up on the battlefield to begin with was absurd in itself.

Seeing the trace of disappointment on Chu Kui’s face, Luo Chen finally asked, ”With your strength, forming a team of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators should make earning merit points easy. Why go out of your way to approach the Luo Tian Society?”

Chu Kui could only give a bitter smile. ”You overestimate me. Yes, I do know many people, but most of them are just acquaintances. When there’s profit to be made, they come calling. But when it comes to a battle where lives are on the line? No one dares show me their back... and honestly, I wouldn’t dare trust them either.”

Luo Chen gave a slightly awkward chuckle. ”I won’t sugarcoat it. We’ve had a few dealings, sure, but I wouldn’t say we’re especially close. In that case... why trust me?”

In moments like this, it was not lies that cut the deepest but truth. Chu Kui gave a sheepish laugh in return, but he quickly added in a serious tone, ”I do trust the name Fire Spirit Lord. I respect it.”

Luo Chen blinked in surprise and let out a smile in understanding. The world assumed his alternate Dao title, Fire Spirit Lord, came from his mastery of fire arts, but that wasn’t the full picture. In the title, it wasn’t just the word ”Fire” that held weight; there was the ”Lord” part as well. He was no saint, but in a world steeped in deception, betrayal, and ambition, he was one of the few who held firm to moral lines they refused to cross.

Chu Kui spoke with unguarded sincerity. ”I’ve observed your conduct. You’re generous to those who follow you and loyal to those who stand beside you. Even with Tao Wan, when your partnership was purely transactional, once you gave your word, you honored it completely. If I had to choose one person among tens of thousands on this battlefield to entrust with my back, it would be you!”

The man clearly knew how to speak well and used that skill without hesitation. Luo Chen, for his part, had no objection to being praised so directly.

Chu Kui went on, ”And if I were to join the Luo Tian Society, with your reputation for shielding your own, there’s no way you’d let me die without lending a hand, right?”

The words were delivered with calm confidence, and they were true. Luo Chen had always treated his people with fairness and loyalty. After leading them personally into battle, his prestige within the society had reached unprecedented heights. Still, the statement gave him pause.

”Join the Luo Tian Society?” Luo Chen repeated it softly, almost as though he were not convinced that what he had just heard wasn’t some kind of illusion.

Chu Kui nodded firmly. ”I’ve studied the Four Sects’ merit exchange rules. A rogue cultivator who redeems the Core Formation art can use it alone. But if a vassal force redeems it, the entire organization may learn it together—as long as it’s not passed to outsiders. Accumulating ten thousand merit points alone is almost impossible, but with a united force, it becomes achievable. That’s why I came to you.”

So that’s what this is about! No wonder Chu Kui hadn’t greeted him as ”Fellow Daoist Luo,” ”Brother Luo,” or even just Luo Chen. He’d called him ”President Luo” the whole time. Everything suddenly made sense.

What drew Luo Chen’s interest even more was Chu Kui’s grasp of the rules. If a force truly pooled its strength to earn enough merit for an Upper Path Core Formation art, was it difficult? Of course it was. But ”difficult” did not mean ”beyond reach”!

As Luo Chen began calculating just how far he could go on the battlefield, especially with reliable teammates. Chu Kui had already offered an answer.

”I’ve seen your fire spells. The power and range are overwhelming. Even when you delivered that strike to kill Wei Tuo, you were still holding back. If you and I joined forces, even a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t stand a chance. Move across the battlefield swiftly, strike and retreat, and in a few trips, ten thousand merit points would be ours for the taking.”

His tone grew more assertive with every word. There was no attempt to hide the respect he held for Luo Chen’s strength. Others might not understand the depths of Luo Chen’s power, but Chu Kui had sparred with him; he knew exactly what hid behind that calm composure. In fact, his fire spells’ area of effect made him even more deadly to low-tier enemies than many late-stage Initiates who relied too heavily on enchanted treasures.

Luo Chen remained silent in the face of that recognition. Yet to Chu Kui, that silence was the best response he could hope for. It meant Luo Chen was seriously considering the proposition!

Seeing that faint spark of hesitation, Chu Kui pressed on. ”I’m not the sort who chases fleeting profit. No matter how this turns out, once we begin, I’ll join the Luo Tian Society for good, and you’ll be my leader. As long as you don’t mind the enemies I’ve made, I’ll never turn my back on the society. And if we succeed, I’ll owe you a debt I’ll never forget.”

Luo Chen’s eyes twitched slightly. Is Chu Kui... selling himself? For the mere chance to reach the Golden Core Realm, he is willing to humble himself and join a second-rate force like the Luo Tian Society? With his strength and reputation, any first-rate power would have welcomed him without hesitation. Even a major sect would not refuse.

The offer was too good to ignore, yet something about it made Luo Chen pause.

Then Chu Kui’s voice cut sharply through the air. ”Luo Chen, don’t tell me you feel nothing for that Core Formation art?”

Chu Kui stood tall, his question cutting straight to Luo Chen’s heart. At those words, Luo Chen finally lifted his gaze. His eyes met the fierce, tiger-like determination burning in Chu Kui’s. He replied softly, ”Give me half a month.”

Chu Kui blinked, stunned for a brief moment. Then a smile broke across his face. Half a month? He could wait that long.

***

Did Luo Chen desire the Upper Path Core Formation art? Of course he did! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sought out Tao Wan for a better art despite already possessing the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation method. Though she had no such arts to offer, she did provide him with their Grand Elder’s personal notes on Core Formation.

It was only after reading the Dao Revelation of Nanshan that Luo Chen fully grasped the difference between the Lower Path, Middle Path, and Upper Path Core Formation and how drastically the grade could affect the chances of forming a core.

The Lower Path was easy to learn, but the weakest. At most, it gave a mere ten percent boost to the chances of success. The Middle Path offered another ten to twenty percent, yet still could not guarantee a result. Only the Upper Path truly stood apart. Though the hardest to comprehend, once mastered, it could raise the success rate by thirty to forty percent.

To some, that might not sound like much. But if compared to Foundation Establishment, it became perfectly clear. A cultivator with a Foundation Establishment Pill stood a real chance. Without it, everything came down to talent and luck. And Luo Chen had never trusted fortune. As for his own talent, he harbored no illusions.

After all, it had taken him five full sets of Foundation Establishment spirit medicines just to barely succeed back then. And that had been only been Foundation Establishment. To form his core? That would be even worse. Moreover, the higher the realm, the more terrifying the backlash from failure. Luo Chen couldn’t afford repeated failures this time. If he could obtain the Upper Path Core Formation art, perhaps the odds would shift in his favor.

Inside the stone hut, Luo Chen emerged from meditation, quietly calculating his future odds with the Upper Path Core Formation art in his grasp. In the end, the answer remained unclear.

Until he reached Perfected Mastery in Foundation Establishment, it was impossible to gauge the full extent of his potential. At the very least, he needed to push every external aid available and elevate each supporting factor to its limit, ensuring his success rate was maximized through every means possible.

As for the battlefield... once Luo Chen made that choice, there would be no turning back. In his journey so far, he had never hesitated when it came to critical choices. Whether it was the extermination of the Fu family, the strike against Xiaohuan Mountain, or standing alone against a tide of foes at Qinhua River. Each time, he had faced overwhelming odds and emerged victorious.

In the mundane world, fame and fortune came to those who seized them on horseback.[2] In the cultivation world, that truth was a hundred times heavier. To walk the path of a cultivator was to contend against others, against heaven, and most of all, against oneself. Had he not gambled everything again and again, he wouldn’t have reached this height in just twenty years. Cowardice, hesitance, complacency, mediocrity... None of these belonged on the path of those who aspired to the Great Dao.

Even so, Luo Chen was no reckless fool. He never acted unless he had at least an eighty percent certainty of survival. Without that, he would never place himself in a truly desperate situation. And in the battle ahead, he wouldn’t involve the cultivators of the Luo Tian Society.

After all, swords had no eyes. Though the Luo Tian Society’s cultivators were elite among rogue cultivators, such a large-scale war would be far too dangerous for them amid a clash of hundreds or even thousands of Initiates. Thus, only he and Chu Kui would take the scene this time.

Luo Chen had a decent grasp of Chu Kui’s strength. The man was at the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment, and the enchanted-treasure staff he wielded had been refined to near perfection. He was also proficient in Physique Refinement arts. There were undoubtedly other things he hadn’t revealed yet, but Luo Chen suspected they were no less formidable. After all, the title Tian Kuizi wasn’t a hollow boast; it was earned through blood and battle. Chu Kui had taken many dirty jobs over the years. In terms of combat experience, he likely exceeded Luo Chen himself. So long as the Seven Sects didn’t dispatch their Dao Scions, he feared no one.

As for himself, Luo Chen had absolute confidence. Whether or not he could win was another matter, but if it came down to escaping, he was second to none.

”It is a shame Wang Yuan isn’t here. If the three of us formed a unit, we’d be unstoppable,” Luo Chen murmured.

Given Luo Chen’s swift casting speed and sweeping area attacks, Wang Yuan’s deadly strikes, and Chu Kui’s formidable cultivation and battlefield experience, the three of them together possessed the strength to harvest vast merit on the battlefield.

But nothing in this world was ever perfect. Wang Yuan survived, but the rumors linking him to the Blood Devil made it impossible for him to appear openly for now. Any exposure would only draw unnecessary trouble upon the Luo Tian Society.

The thought of the Blood Devil made Luo Chen’s brow furrow. That man was a Pseudo-Golden Core cultivator. If we encounter him on the battlefield, it’ll be a nightmare. I need to talk to Chu Kui and warn him to stay alert.

As he set his plans in order, the lingering strain from recent cultivation gradually faded from his body. Without delay, he began using the Blood Devil Transformation Finger and Cleanse in tandem, directing their force toward the faint flame-shaped mark on his forehead.

That was the true reason he had asked for half a month—to erase the mark completely. Half a month should be enough. Only after it vanished could he step onto the battlefield without concern.

Thus, the days slipped by in focused seclusion. In the meantime, he only made a brief trip outside to attend Golden Sand Floating Island’s free-trade gathering and returned with a few gains.

By the tenth day, Luo Chen stepped out of the stone hut. He wasn’t the only one; many cultivators across the island emerged around the same time. Everyone looked to the sky in unison.

From a distance, a massive flying boat tore through clouds and mist, roaring thunderously through the sky. It was a colossal vessel, at least a hundred zhang long. Its sheer presence struck awe into every observer.

”A flying boat of the enchanted treasure grade!”

”The Falling Cloud Sect must have sent someone important! That’s the only reason they’d mobilize something like this!”

As the crowd whispered and buzzed, Chu Kui stepped silently to Luo Chen’s side.

”That flying boat isn’t empty. It’s loaded with powerful combat puppets,” he said quietly.

He turned to look Luo Chen in the eye. ”Luo Chen, our time has come.”

1. 就譬如王对王，将对将，小兵对小兵这种规则 (jiù pì rú wáng duì wáng, jiàng duì jiàng, xiǎo bīng duì xiǎo bīng zhè zhǒng guī zé) is a metaphor derived from chess or battlefield hierarchy. The phrase is used to describe an unspoken rule of engagement that combatants of similar rank or status are expected to face each other to preserve fairness. ☜

2. ”功名马上” is a classical phrase rooted in the idea that military valor and battlefield achievements are the quickest paths to status and recognition. In traditional Chinese culture, especially during dynastic eras, success in war was a legitimate and often glorified route to securing official titles, wealth, and honor. ☜