An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Big Brother Qin, in the end, you still could not make it through,” he murmured.

Memories of their time together surfaced in his mind. Qin Liangchen had been bold and generous, never stingy with his cultivation knowledge, and always utterly sincere toward his friends.

His journey had been marked by hardships. Whether alone in his early days of Qi Refinement or trading injury for survival upon the Debate Platform, he had endured bitter trials. At one point, he had even faced death in Green Hemp Forest, besieged by the Nangong family’s cultivators. Yet he had overcome them all. Only this time...

”If you hadn’t gone to support Zhou Yuanli, would you still be alive?” Luo Chen whispered.

His words came out as a murmur while his palm traced the heavy coffin lid again and again.

”I have met your son. He is an excellent child, already making great strides in cultivation. He has become an inner disciple of a Nascent Soul sect, with every chance of becoming a True Inheritor in the future. With a bit of luck, if he apprentices under a Golden Core Adept, forming his core may well be within reach. If your spirit in the underworld knows of this, you must surely feel comforted and proud.”

In a haze, Luo Chen seemed to see Qin Liangchen standing tall before him, speaking with passion and gesturing as he discussed the affairs of the world. Whenever he mentioned his son Qin Yuanjiang, a smile of pride and hope always appeared on his face.

The boy carried a trace of arrogance, as many disciples of great sects did, but after enduring the tempering of battle, that flaw had surely been mended. His future was boundless. He had even called Luo Chen ”Uncle Luo...”

”Big Brother Qin, rest easy. Should I one day tread upon Golden Core Dao, I will protect him in your stead. And your wife... I will look after her as well.” Luo Chen murmured and moved away from the coffin after.

His gaze shifted toward Liu Qiang.

Once his bodyguard, Liu Qiang had guarded him daily alongside Zhou Yuanli when Luo Chen was still weak. He had even attempted Foundation Establishment once, though he failed at the final step. Luo Chen remembered the day when Liu Qiang and Zhou Yuanli fought side by side against raiders from Snow Lotus Market, two at the eighth stage of Qi Refinement battling one at the ninth.

This time as well, Liu Qiang chose to fight shoulder to shoulder with his brother. Yet he died beneath the sword of an Initiate, his entrails spilling and his body torn with not a patch of sound flesh remaining.

Luo Chen’s gaze did not waver, as though such a brutal sight could not affect him in the slightest.

”Old Liu, you should have left behind a child,” he murmured in grief.

Luo Chen walked deeper into the side hall, his steps slow and heavy. Those placed here had all been important figures of the Luo Tian Society, either cultivators of the high realm or men and women entrusted with vital duties. For that reason, their remains had been preserved in this solemn hall as a mark of respect.

Most of them were people Luo Chen had known or at least recognized.

Xiugu of the Medicine Palace lay among them. She had once been Zeng Wen’s Dao companion and was the mother of Zeng Yilong, Wang Yuan’s disciple. Another coffin held Li Yingjun, the younger sister of Li Yingzhang and the Dao companion of Yuan Dongsheng. There was also Hao Tianye, a rising talent of the Battle Palace. Sima Huiniang had once named him a Foundation Establishment seedling, a youth with every prospect of success in the years to come. Chi Junran rested there as well, one of the rare male cultivators of the Gold Palace. He had been quick-witted and eloquent, known for his resourcefulness. He had stepped forth to shield the women of the Gold Palace, blocking the enemy and losing his life in the attempt. Before his fall, he had already risen to become shopkeeper of a branch in the Divine Craftsman marketplace.

***

Names and memories flowed through Luo Chen’s mind like running water. When he stopped at the doorway and stared at the coffins that filled the hall, a line of poetry from his past life surfaced in his heart. The affairs of the world are like the tide, and people flow past like water. Alas, just like rivers, they’re gone, never to return...[1]

This was the heaviest loss in the Luo Tian Society’s history. The war had taken from Luo Chen countless friends and close subordinates.

”All of this was the doing of the Flame Alliance! The Zheng family, Iron Sword Hall, and the Xiahou family are just a small part of the reckoning. The real debt is owed by the Flame Alliance, and that debt has yet to be repaid,” he muttered grimly. ”One day, I will reclaim justice in full.”

Luo Chen turned sharply and strode out of the hall. At some point, the space outside had filled with people. At the doorway stood an elderly man with two youths, speaking quietly with Gu Caiyi.

As soon as Luo Chen emerged, Gu Caiyi stepped forward. ”President, this is Master Yan. He is a funerary master, skilled in preparing the deceased and restoring their remains.”

Luo Chen nodded and approached the elder, bowing politely. ”Greetings, Master Yan.”

The old man, startled by the courtesy, bowed deeply. ”Greetings, Senior Dan Chenzi.”

”I must trouble you to take extra care in restoring the faces of my fallen friends. Feel free to ask for any materials you require. The cultivators of the Luo Tian Society will provide full assistance,” Luo Chen said.

As he spoke, he drew several jade bottles from his storage pouch and pressed them into the old man’s hands. They contained top-grade qi-nourishing pills, ideal for cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refinement.

”That isn’t right. I’ve already been paid,” the old man protested.

Luo Chen smiled faintly and closed his hands firmly around the bottles, leaving no room for refusal. Master Yan was embarrassed, but he accepted them and entered the side hall with his two apprentices. After all, their line of work was to serve the dead, and their methods, often unsettling to behold, were not suited for open display.

The heavy doors closed slowly behind them. Only then did Luo Chen turn to face the cultivators gathered outside. His gaze swept across the crowd, where sorrow was etched on most faces.

He drew a deep breath and said slowly, ”The dead are gone. To wallow in grief will do no good; it will only harm you. All who have fallen here will be given a proper and honorable burial. But the Luo Tian Society now lies in disarray, and we must stand united to weather this trial. These brothers and sisters gave their lives to protect our society. Surely, they would not wish to see it falter and fall. So...”

Luo Chen had intended to speak words that would lift their spirits. Yet when the moment came, the phrases caught at his lips, and he could not bring himself to say them. Some matters could not be eased by eloquence. Unless one had endured them personally, no words held weight.

He forced himself to give the crowd a brief nod. ”Go back to your duties.”

With that, he walked down the passage the cultivators opened for him and left the side hall behind. In that moment, surrounded by the crowd, he felt as though he were retreating in defeat.

***

When Luo Chen entered the main hall of the Medicine Palace, the air was filled with groans and cries of pain. A dozen white-robed female disciples moved swiftly among the wounded, tending to their injuries without pause. Feng Xia hurried out to meet him the moment he arrived.

”How is the situation?” Luo Chen asked.

”After two days of treatment, the situation has stabilized. Supplies are being replenished, and others are already running around procuring what we need. What we lack most now is a pill called the Fiend-Purging pill. The enemies had ties to the Flame Alliance and fought using Earth Fire Fiend Qi. The remnants it leaves in the body are the hardest to deal with,” Feng Xia said quickly.

Fiend-Purging pill? Luo Chen paused in thought, then took out a dozen jade bottles from his storage pouch. ”I have some here. Take these for now. If they’re not enough, go to Green Pill Valley’s Alchemy Palace in the city. They specialize in refining this pill.”

Feng Xia’s eyes lit up as she took them. As she turned to leave, Luo Chen called after her. ”How is Duan Feng’s condition?”

Feng Xia smiled faintly. ”I had Master Healer Sun examine him. It’s merely exhaustion of spirit power. He’ll recover with some rest.”

Luo Chen gave a quiet hum and then turned his gaze to the two women nearby. He walked toward them. ”Greetings, Master Healer Sun.”

The elderly woman lifted her head in surprise. ”Fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi?”

”Yes, that’s me.” Luo Chen replied, then looked with concern at Murong Qinglian. ”How is my sister-in-law’s injury?”

Under his gaze, Murong Qinglian moved slightly. Yet her expression remained dull; she seemed still trapped in grief and unable to break free.

Master Healer Sun shook her head. ”The injury is not life-threatening or anything of the kind, but... her right hand has been pulverized. It cannot be healed with ordinary techniques; what is needed is a proper method of limb restoration.”

Powerful demonic beasts were said to regrow lost limbs or even revive from a drop of blood. But for human cultivators, such feats were practically impossible. When no remnant of a limb remained, only specialized regeneration techniques could succeed.

Luo Chen considered, then said, ”I once witnessed the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s Golden Silkworm Reconnection and I have heard of other regeneration methods as well. Fellow Daoist, are you versed in any of these methods?”

Master Healer Sun shook her head. ”I do know one, but it requires third-tier materials that are exceedingly rare. At present, I have none available.”

The situation proved the old saying true: Even the best cook cannot make a meal without rice. When Luo Chen asked about the materials, he learned that she had already inquired with the Luo Tian Society, only to be told that none were available.

Master Healer Sun concluded, ”For now, I can only fashion a simple prosthetic hand from low-tier materials, enough to manage daily use. As for the future, you can either gather the materials I need or invite an expert from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect to treat her.”

The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was not only a sect of sword cultivators but also home to many renowned healers. Yet the sect now stood as a bitter enemy of the Four-Sect Alliance. In such a state of hostility, inviting their healers was impossible.

Luo Chen opened his mouth but found no words; powerlessness pressed heavily on him. As he looked at the woman’s lifeless expression, he silently resolved that no matter the cost, he would restore her hand and ensure that her cultivation would not be hindered. This was his promise to Big Brother Qin!

After further conversation, Luo Chen gained a clear understanding of the Luo Tian Society’s wounded from Master Healer Sun. He then chose to remain in the great hall and personally treat the injured.

At first, Master Healer Sun did not approve. The body of a cultivator was too complex, and those without medical knowledge often caused more harm than good with clumsy remedies. But when she saw him skillfully using Heal and Spring Wind Rain Transformation to treat both internal and external wounds, her astonishment stilled her objections.

”Fellow Daoist, your healing arts are far beyond what I expected,” she admitted.

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”Since I cultivate both physique and qi, I’ve simply been injured often enough to learn how to treat my wounds. Over time, I picked up a few minor techniques. Master, you flatter me.”

Standing before Xu Haizhen, he treated the damaged meridians caused by overexertion of spirit power while continuing his exchange with Master Healer Sun.

Master Healer Sun shook her head slowly. In her eyes, he was far too modest. His mastery of those two healing arts was already nearing perfection. The way he purged foreign energies from a cultivator’s body alone was enough to earn recognition among professional healers. Yet it was clear he had never received formal training in medicine; he was using a very clumsy approach with certain injuries.

”Fellow Daoist Xu suffers not only from damaged meridians, but also injured organs and fractured bones. To treat him properly, one must use the Organ Realignment in tandem with Bone Mending. With these applied, followed by Spring Wind Rain Transformation, his cultivation will no longer be hindered.”

Luo Chen raised his hand in surprise. ”Hold on a moment. Organ Realignment and Bone Mending?”

”Exactly.” Master Healer Sun gave a small smile. ”Bone Mending is a first-tier earth-element spell, nothing difficult to learn. Organ Realignment is somewhat harder and is ranked as second-tier. The challenge does not lie in the spell itself, but in the fact that each of the five organs corresponds to a different element. To restore and nurture them, you must employ five different methods. I have some measure of medical abilities, yet my spirit roots are limited, so I have mastered only three.”

As she spoke, she extended her fingers. They curved like claws and touched one of Xu Haizhen’s ribs, as if to seize it. Then, her fingers began to tremble. It was not an involuntary twitch, but a steady motion following a precise rhythm. With each tap, threads of spirit energy flowed into Xu Haizhen’s body. Faintly, the crackling of shifting bones could be heard.

When she withdrew her hand, Xu Haizhen let out a groan he could not suppress, but it was not a groan of pain—it was a groan of relief.

Luo Chen stared, dumbfounded. If he had known this spell earlier, he might have easily repaired Gu Caiyi’s injured arm.

A sudden thought struck him, and he said, ”Master Sun, please teach me these two spells!”

He made his request without mentioning conditions or payment, and his words carried little courtesy. These were, after all, the very skills Master Healer Sun relied upon to earn her living in Tianlan Immortal City. To his surprise, she only smiled and agreed without hesitation.

”Bone Mending is actually quite simple. The bones are the body’s support and anchor. They are stable and resilient, and they are connected to the earth element. To learn this spell, you must not only be able to channel earth-element spirit power but also grasp the principles of gathering and dispersing—condensing earth into stone and scattering stone into sand. Now, watch closely how my spirit power circulates and memorize the spell.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated Bone Mending. A late-stage Initiate like Xu Haizhen was her ideal subject.

Luo Chen stood at her side, Spirit Eyes and spirit consciousness fully engaged. He observed her every movement with complete focus, determined not to miss even the smallest detail. At the same time, his mind turned over her words and memorized each principle.

After only a few repetitions, he spoke up, ”Let me try.”

1. The original here consists of two lyrics from the song 笑红尘 (”Laughing at the world”) by Li Manting, inspired by Jin Yong’s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The translation is not exactly one-on-one because the original is a wordplay based on the word jianghu (the social setting of wuxia and xianxia novels), which literally means ”rivers and lakes.” ☜