An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

It had been four years since Luo Chen returned from Green Pill Valley. For the first two years, he cultivated in seclusion atop Tianlan Peak. His cultivation had steadily improved, and his progress bar had once reached the twenties. The figure he was seeing right now aligned with his earlier estimates. It would take ten years to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, the two years that followed, spent entrenched on the battlefield, told a different story. During that time, his progress bar had barely moved. There was simply no helping it; a battlefield had never been a place for proper cultivation. Constant skirmishes and prolonged combat consumed spirit power faster than it could be replenished. The few points Luo Chen had managed to gain were solely thanks to the top-grade Ascending Dragon Pills Tao Wan had provided him. If it had been another Initiate, their cultivation would likely have stagnated entirely.

”Combat truly isn’t the path for a Qi Refinement cultivator like me. Someone like Brother Wang, a Physique Refinement cultivator, can leverage battle to hasten their comprehension of blood qi transformation,” Luo Chen muttered to himself.

Still, Luo Chen had never been one to lose track of his cultivation. He had long foreseen this dip in progress due to war. Instead of fixating on what had been lost, he redirected his attention to something else—his spellcasting.

He knew three third-tier spells from distinct domains: flight, illusion, and one secret art that was deceptively simple in form yet challenging to perfect. But apart from Ninety Thousand Li, the spell he relied on for long-range flight, the other two weren’t suitable for repeated use or skill grinding.

On the other hand, in the second-tier spells section, he’d made remarkable gains. Landslide, Glazed Skyveil, and Solar Flare had all reached Perfected Mastery. These had been his trusted assets for dominating the battlefield; especially when paired with his excellent use of artifacts, he could hold his own against peak Initiates.

Surprisingly, even Spring Wind Rain Transformation had reached Perfected Mastery. At first, Luo Chen had learned it purely to treat Gu Caiyi’s internal injuries after her failed Foundation Establishment attempt. He hadn’t expected much beyond that. Yet when war broke out, this healing spell quickly proved its worth. Whether for treating Li Yingzhang or other injured cultivators of the Luo Tian Society, it had proved invaluable.

During the year he spent in the Divine Transformation pocket world, Luo Chen had relied on that spell countless times. When he subjected himself to the brutal lightning-forging trials, it had been that spell together with Heal that kept his body from falling apart. Without their steady, ceaseless repair, even Myriad Path Convergence would not have been enough to keep him alive through the endless waves of lightning.

As for his other second-tier spells, Luo Chen hadn’t paid them much attention. Water Mirror, Flower Fairy, and Spirit Beguilement were all prerequisites for Mirror Flower Water Moon. Reaching full proficiency would demand a vast investment of time, and for now, Luo Chen had no pressing reason to do so.

Illusion spells were a bit awkward. In battles against his peers, brute force served him better. He could overpower opponents without relying on tricks. In cross-realm combat, illusions became risky. Their effectiveness hinged on the strength of one’s divine soul. Against stronger cultivators, the spells could easily backfire, and Luo Chen wasn’t foolish enough to risk that. Even on the return journey, facing Old Feng, he had only briefly used Spirit Beguilement and Soul Intimidation to create an opening. These third-tier illusion spells had become rather useless.

His progress in alchemy was substantially greater, most of it made during the two years before the war. At that time, he had refined large quantities of pills for Fairy Ruthless and reached the Beginner level in the Star-Plucking technique he learned at Green Pill Valley.

What truly stood out to Luo Chen was the Clear Origin Mystical Pill. This detoxifying method didn’t seem to match what Huo Hu had described at the Taishan Market auction. Back then, it was said to take one year for Beginner level, three years for minor mastery, five for major mastery, and ten years for Perfected Mastery. Yet by Luo Chen’s count, nearly twenty years had passed. Even so, he still had not reached Perfected Mastery, nor had he experienced the supposed effects of enhanced pill absorption.

”Was the description wrong? Or is this simply much harder to master than they claimed? Was I misled?”

Luo Chen wasn’t the sort to deceive himself. He knew his strengths, and when it came to spells and techniques, he had always possessed a rare talent. Moreover, this technique emphasized practical use, and few could rival Luo Chen in that regard. Conveniently, he consumed far more pills than others in his realm. By all logic, he should’ve hit Perfected Mastery by now, yet he remained stuck at nine hundred points. In fact, he had only broken past the nine hundred mark because he’d recklessly consumed all kinds of miscellaneous pills during the Divine Transformation pocket world to push his Physique Refinement further.

”Who knows how much longer it’ll take to hit Perfected Mastery...”

Luo Chen couldn’t quite grasp the nature of this technique, but he also had no intention to dwell on it. Even without the bonus absorption benefit, the detoxification effect alone was more than enough. Finally, he glanced at his achievement points section.

”Haih, only twenty-two....”

He once had over sixty in his stockpile. He had spent over forty achievement points to create Myriad Path Convergence, which marked the greatest expenditure of points in his entire cultivation journey. Not even creating the Imperial Nectar while being at a lower tier had cost him this much. He remembered clearly that it had only taken a bit over twenty points back then.

Of the twenty-two points he now held, two had come as a bonus when he reached the Proficient level in Myriad Path Convergence, thanks to the immense foundation he had built up over the years.

”It’s not much, but I haven’t had any new alchemical formulas to learn recently, so it’s alright for now,” Luo Chen muttered.

After finishing his review of the status panel, Luo Chen now had a clear understanding of his current state. What he needed to do next was straightforward.

First, he had to replenish his spirit power. With the help of top-grade Ascending Dragon Pills, a second-tier top-grade spirit land, and a powerful physique, his recovery would be swift.

Next, he had to make full use of his physical body. His body was now comparable to that of a third-tier archaic demonic beast, equivalent to the Golden Core Realm of humans. It made no sense to let that power go unused. While his body had grown immensely stronger, he lacked techniques to match. Without the right methods, all he could do was fight head-on with brute strength, which was both crude and inefficient.

Luo Chen had seen this kind of awkward mismatch before. Back then, Wang Yuan had stepped into the second stage of Physique Refinement while still in the Qi Refinement Realm. He had seemed strong enough to rival Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet without matching techniques, his combat power had been stifled. Now, Luo Chen found himself in the same predicament. Therefore, he had the perfect person to consult on this matter.

Lastly, there was the matter of preparing for Core Formation. By now, Luo Chen had accumulated four Core Formation arts. Three were considered Lower Path arts, and one Upper Path—the one from the Falling Cloud Sect. If he studied them thoroughly and made the right choice, forming a Golden Core and turning the Luo Tian Society into a proper sect one day wasn’t just a dream; it was a very real possibility.

These three matters would demand both time and focus, and Luo Chen was well prepared for it. He had returned under the cover of night, and his appearance had been perfectly concealed as he entered Tianlan. During his exit from the Divine Transformation pocket world as well, he had remained entirely anonymous. Neither the general public nor even the Ice Fortress knew that he had survived. That meant he had plenty of time to carry out his plans undisturbed.

As for the Luo Tian Society, he had already given clear instructions to Sima Huiniang and Gu Caiyi: Unless it was a disaster capable of destroying mountains or annihilating their society, they were not to trouble him with trivial matters.

”Now... all is finally in place. Let’s take it one step at a time,” Luo Chen said quietly.

With cultivation for the day concluded, he turned to the second matter on his list: transcribing Myriad Path Convergence. He drew out a jade scroll, closed his eyes slightly, and sent his spirit consciousness into it, beginning the engraving process.

It was meticulous work that demanded his full attention. Fortunately, his divine soul foundation was robust, and he had practiced both Soul Intimidation and Spirit Beguilement, making the task manageable.

As time flowed quietly around him, a brand-new technique, one never before seen in the cultivation world, gradually took shape upon the jade scroll. By the time the transcription was complete, Luo Chen found himself gaining new insights.

It was better to write it down than to merely remember. What had previously been instinctual was now visible in its entirety. He could now perceive the technique’s strengths and weaknesses clearly for the first time. After a long while, Luo Chen solemnly stored away the jade scroll.

”This technique... I doubt ordinary people could even attempt it! Even for me, using it to refine my body further won’t be easy. I’ll need a new approach. But first... I’ll consult Wang Yuan.”

***

The next morning, Luo Chen welcomed a guest to his cave residence. With utmost care, he handed the jade scroll bearing Myriad Path Convergence to Wang Yuan.

At first, Wang Yuan was rather dismissive; how good could a self-created cultivation technique be at this level? But when Luo Chen quietly said, ”The changes in my body come from this technique,” Wang Yuan’s expression grew serious.

”Give me a moment. Let me study it carefully.”

Silence settled over the cave residence. Wang Yuan immersed himself in the study of the jade scroll’s contents. As he read on, his expression changed repeatedly. At times, he looked enlightened, sometimes contemplative, occasionally frowning in confusion. Every now and then, blood qi patterns shimmered faintly across his skin, revealing that he was silently testing out certain principles. The deeper he delved, the more profound the shock he felt.

At last, after a long while, he set the jade scroll down and looked at Luo Chen, disbelief flickering in his eyes. ”You created this technique?”

Luo Chen gave a faint smile. ”Not exactly created. I didn’t make it up from scratch; I just distilled it from the foundation laid by those before me.”

”Distilled...” Wang Yuan echoed softly.

He believed Luo Chen’s modest words and yet he was still profoundly shaken. He could tell that this Physique Refinement technique contained many things he recognized. It was fundamentally built upon the third-tier Sky Roc Transformation, blended with elements of Divine Breaker of Malevolence, Qi-Physique Origin Method, and even his own Wang Secret Manual that he had developed through years of cultivation. They were all familiar techniques, and he knew some of them even better than Luo Chen. Yet, to systemically fuse them into a unified whole... It was staggering.

What struck him even more was what came after the Aperture Opening stage. Luo Chen had mapped out a new series of methods that pushed beyond the old framework: Qi Absorption, Blood Replacement, and so on.

This wasn’t just an evolution of the old; it was a wholly new Physique Refinement path born from it. If traditional Physique Refinement was about understanding internal blood qi flow, like building a Dao shrine inside a snail shell, then Myriad Path Convergence aimed to turn that fragile shell into a solid fortress. Both paths sought to push the human body to its limits, but they took entirely different roads to get there.

For a moment, Wang Yuan’s mind surged with wild thoughts. Inspiration flickered and danced through him. However, it was obvious that Luo Chen hadn’t invited him here merely to discuss cultivation theory. There was a purpose behind this meeting.

After a moment, he wet his dry lips and asked, ”What stage have you reached?”

Luo Chen answered without hesitation, ”All my hundred meridians are connected and all my apertures are open. I can draw in a stream of qi and maintain an internal circulation, and I can basically go three years without a single breath. I’ve completed my first blood replacement. My marrow is strong, my blood is dense as mercury. Bone Forging progresses the slowest, but my spine is about as tough as a dragon’s. Also, I can condense a protective armor of qi comparable to the armored beasts of the wild!”

With every sentence Luo Chen spoke, Wang Yuan’s eyes widened further in disbelief. By the end, he could no longer contain himself. His hand clenched reflexively, and the solid stone table beside him cracked apart in his grip, shattering into powder that rained to the ground.

Wang Yuan stared at Luo Chen in disbelief. His heart was full of doubt. Yet as he recalled the moment when the three of them had attacked together, he knew that it had been Luo Chen alone who had instantly slain the strongest among Liu Yuzhi’s group. He knew that his doubts were unfounded. The raw power Luo Chen had displayed was utterly different from the fire arts Wang Yuan had previously known him for.

”I’d say, aside from lacking a demonic beast’s innate abilities, you can practically treat me as a third-tier humanoid beast.”

If everything Luo Chen had shared before was merely a collection of fragments, then this final line painted the complete picture of his Physique Refinement cultivation.

Wang Yuan couldn’t help but ask, ”What have you gone through? What have you sacrificed?”

What kind of price had he paid to reach this point?

Luo Chen chuckled lightly. Isn’t the answer written clearly on this scroll?

To achieve each minor breakthrough required not just effort, but an enormous accumulation of inner cultivation, external cultivation, and an ocean’s worth of resources. It was all layered step by step, until success was finally forced into being.

Wang Yuan shook his head. He knew there was no point in asking further. The past suffering was hardly worth recounting if one had already succeeded. Between the two of them, there was no need for such boasting.

Bringing the discussion back on track, Wang Yuan asked, ”So, you’re looking for techniques that can match your physique?”

Luo Chen nodded. ”Exactly. A third-tier demonic beast without innate abilities is nothing more than a tougher chicken. I am sure you understand that best.”

Why did that sound like an insult...? Wang Yuan shot him a glare, then sank into deep thought.

Without realizing it, he picked up the jade scroll again, eyes narrowing as he reread its contents in silence. Luo Chen wasn’t in a hurry. He popped a top-grade Ascending Dragon Pill into his mouth and began to digest it.

He had discovered something remarkable. Ever since he reached third-tier Archaic, his digestive capacity had undergone a drastic transformation. Before, he could only manage one top-grade Ascending Dragon Pill per day, two pills over three days at most. Now, this body of his could easily handle three such pills in a single day! Even without using any specific techniques, his natural digestive process allowed him to break down most of the pill’s medicinal power.

In essence, he really was a humanoid demonic beast. This was no small matter; it was a tremendous revelation that bore just as much significance to him as discovering a new spirit land. It meant that the spirit energy he could draw from the outside world had increased, and that would directly speed up his cultivation.

Based on his previous estimates, one top-grade Ascending Dragon Pill offered as much benefit as an entire day of meditating in a second-tier top-grade spirit land. Now that he could digest three, his cultivation speed had more than doubled!

Maybe this has something to do with how I forced myself to consume an absurd number of pills back in the Divine Transformation pocket world. My body must have adapted unconsciously, naturally evolving this digestive capacity, Luo Chen thought to himself.

As Luo Chen was musing over this, Wang Yuan finally emerged from his thoughts. It had been several hours! He noticed Luo Chen’s expectant gaze and said slowly, ”I do have a proposal, something that could make full use of your physique’s advantages. But whether it works or not, we’ll only know after testing it.”

”Let’s hear it,” Luo Chen said at once.