An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Mm?”

”Ah!”

The first sound came from Master Healer Sun, the second from Xu Haizhen.

Luo Chen stretched out his hand with confidence. ”I think I can do it!”

Master Healer Sun stepped aside in surprise and pointed out a few bones in Xu Haizhen’s body that still required mending.

Under Xu Haizhen’s tense gaze, Luo Chen went straight to work.

”President, careful!” Xu Haizhen warned.

Luo Chen’s movements were somewhat slow and clumsy, yet as his spirit power flowed into Xu Haizhen’s body, the damaged bones began to heal.

When Luo Chen withdrew his hand, Master Healer Sun remarked, ”You’ve already grasped the basics. The control is still a little raw, but the form is there. President Luo, I have to say, you are by far the most talented in medicine I’ve ever seen. If you truly pursued this path, I fear there would be no place left for me in the city.”

By the end of her words, laughter spilled from Master Healer Sun.

Luo Chen smiled in return. ”Master Sun, it’s all thanks to your guidance. And how could you ever lose your place? With me here, and with the Luo Tian Society standing, you’ll never have to worry about making a living.”

At those words, Sun Sifang’s smile deepened, and warmth softened the lines of her face.

Of course, his words did not imply that the Luo Tian Society would forever be filled with injured people. Both of them understood the unspoken meaning. Within a few short exchanges, tentative probing had already turned into mutual understanding.

Master Healer Sun said, ”Then let me also teach you Organ Realignment. The Luo Tian Society has far too many injured this time, and the disciples of the Sun Medical Hall cannot manage it all alone.”

Luo Chen nodded solemnly. ”Master, please go ahead.”

***

”Master, why would you pass down your knowledge to Senior Luo?”

The question came during lunchtime, when one of the female disciples looked at Sun Sifang with puzzled eyes.

The healer, famed throughout the city for her unmatched medical skill, sighed softly.

”They are nothing but minor techniques. Why should I be stingy with them?”

”But still...”

Sun Sifang shook her head and patted her disciple’s hand. ”Suo’e, I am doing this for all of you.”

Suo’e froze. She truly did not understand what her master was thinking. To her, passing down exclusive medical techniques could only create competition for the Sun Medical Hall. How could that possibly be considered an act of care for them?

Sun Sifang gave no direct answer. Instead, she shifted the conversation. ”You are my chief disciple, and you’re the one who accompanied me into the caves of those Initiates. You should know enough by now. Tell me, what is your view of Luo Chen?”

Suo’e answered without hesitation. ”His cultivation is profound, his strength formidable, and he possesses alchemy skills renowned even in the Jade Cauldron Domain. His future is limitless.”

Sun Sifang shook her head. ”I do not mean his strength or his competence. I am asking about his character.”

Suo’e paused to think before replying, ”They say he cares for his subordinates and treats others generously. He is broad-minded and tolerant. In recent years, the Luo Tian Society has raised many Initiates, and all of them are utterly loyal to him. Moreover, his connections are wide. In this recent battle, many friends came to his aid. Clearly, when it comes to dealing with others, his character can be trusted.”

Sun Sifang sighed. ”It seems your years in Tianlan Immortal City haven’t been wasted. Yes, that man truly is remarkable. I’ve never seen a leader personally tend to his subordinates’ wounds. It’s not just one or two, and not only the strong Initiates, but everyone under his command.”

Suo’e recalled the scene she had witnessed earlier in the Medicine Palace. She also thought back to the many stories she had heard about Luo Chen. This was certainly not the first time he had personally healed his people.

If such an act had occurred once or twice, it might have been dismissed as a way of winning favor. But when repeated this many times, whether there were other motives or not, it clearly showed genuine compassion for his subordinates.

A man ought to be judged by his deeds, not by his thoughts.

Sun Sifang pressed further. ”Now tell me, after this battle, what position will the Luo Tian Society hold in Tianlan Immortal City?”

At first, Suo’e considered answering that the Luo Tian Society had suffered grievous losses and might face decline. But upon deeper thought, she realized the situation was not so simple. Around Tianlan Immortal City, if one set aside the sects from outside the domain, the local upper sects, and the Golden Core major sects, the remaining powers were few.

The Lianyun Trade Alliance had long since collapsed, Iron Sword Hall had been destroyed, the Xiahou family wiped out, and the Zheng family annihilated. The families that still held strength were the Luo family, the Chen family, and the Yue family of Shaohua Mountain... who all stood as allies of the Luo Tian Society.

And beyond that, during the battle, the Adepts of Green Pill Valley, Ailao Mountain, and the Ice Fortress personally took the field to protect Luo Chen. Such actions were nothing less than a public show of support for the Luo Tian Society.

With such backing, the direction of events became clear. Once the Luo Tian Society endured this season of grief, it would likely rise swiftly to become one of the foremost powers in Tianlan.

As the realization struck her, Suo’e gasped. ”They may stand beneath the major sects, but they will be above all other cultivators!”

Sun Sifang patted her hand with satisfaction. Setting aside their cultivation, the scene was no different from an old grandmother in the mortal world chatting with her child.

”Good. You truly have improved these years, and your insight is sound.”

The praise brought a bright smile to Suo’e’s face, yet a trace of confusion still lingered. ”But what does this have to do with us?”

Sun Sifang’s smile faded, and she spoke softly. ”I am old, with few years left. Among all of you, not one has reached Foundation Establishment. Even you have only barely advanced to the ninth stage of Qi Refinement. When I pass away, the Sun Medical Hall will exist in name alone. As your master, I must find a path for you all.”

Suo’e clutched her master’s hand, her voice cracking. ”Master!”

Sun Sifang shook her head, pushing aside sorrowful thoughts, and fixed her eyes earnestly on the woman before her.

”The Luo Tian Society is bound to prosper. President Dan Chenzi is a man of rare character, and his future is boundless. He may even reach the Golden Core Realm and establish a Golden Core sect of his own. If we join them while I am still alive, in their time of greatest hardship, that will be giving them coal in the middle of winter. Even after I pass away, you will still have a place to belong, and he will surely treat you well.”

The thought of her elderly master still worrying for her disciples brought tears to Suo’e’s eyes.

Sun Sifang smiled kindly, her thoughts already turning toward the future. At her side came Suo’e’s soft murmur. ”Will they be willing to take us in?”

With a gentle hand, Sun Sifang stroked her disciple’s hair. ”Silly child, they already did.”

Suo’e blinked. ”When?”

”The moment he sought to learn healing arts from me.”

***

The disciples of the Sun Medical Hall left in groups to rest, but Luo Chen remained. He moved among the wounded in the Medicine Palace and cast all healing spells he knew. Heal and Spring Wind Rain Transformation, combined with Cleanse and Spirit Eyes, produced remarkable results.

Of the two spells Master Healer Sun had taught him, Luo Chen had already grasped Bone Mending. The technique itself was truly not difficult; its essence lay in the earth element’s principle of gathering and dispersing at will, and that principle was something he had mastered long ago. When exploring Landslide, he had first practiced Earth Summit, a basic earth element spell that embodied the truth of gathering sand into a mountain. The same principle aligned with Bone Mending’s method of condensing earth into stone and the reverse of it was dispersing stone into sand. Because of this foundation, he was able to advance swiftly.

Organ Realignment, on the other hand, was a compound art consisting of five different techniques. It required coordination with all five elemental powers, which made it considerably more complex. Fortunately, Luo Chen possessed all five spirit roots.

Although his primary cultivation lay in wood element spirit power, years of practice had left him with substantial reserves of the other four elements. While those reserves were not sufficient for combat, they proved more than adequate for the demands of medical spells.

After a full day and night of practice, he could already perform two techniques, Lung Realignment and Liver Realignment, with skill, drawing on the metal and wood elements. His rapid progress was greatly aided by his long training in the Five Organs Nourishment Fist, which had given him a deep familiarity with the workings of the internal organs.

As Luo Chen practiced these spells while treating the wounded, the heaviness in his heart gradually eased. His mind even found space to reflect on his own talent for spells. Indeed, he possessed an extraordinary gift in spellcraft. With such a foundation, he had already reached the point where mastery in one art allowed him to grasp the principles of many others.

The thought arose. If I cultivate spells of every element thoroughly at each stage, then when I reach higher realms, will I attain the state where mastery of one art leads to mastery of ten thousand? Such attainment would echo the very principles of my own creation, Myriad Path Convergence. If that is so, then choosing to walk only the fire path would be a waste of my gift for spells.

Almost as soon as the thought formed, he dismissed it. Lifespans at the lower realms were short. Spellcraft was easy to learn yet hard to master. Even with the advantage of his status panel, every art still required years of practice.

Landslide provided the clearest example. That spell was only a second-tier offensive spell, yet perfecting it had cost him more than a decade. Spells of the third and fourth tiers would require even greater effort. To take a single path to its extreme was already enough for him to rise above his peers. Reaching for too much at once would only result in loss rather than gain.

Healing arts, Spirit Eyes, and other auxiliary spells were a different matter. Such spells could be studied freely, and the more he mastered, the better. In critical moments, they would always prove unexpectedly useful.

However, combat spells were not something one could simply pile on without limit. His primary cultivation technique was in the wood element, and fire spells worked for him only because wood gives rise to fire. If he tried to take on the other three elements as well, his spirit power would never be enough to sustain them. Even if he managed to cast them, their strength would fall short of his wood and fire arts.

For both the short and long term, and considering the limits of his own body and cultivation, Luo Chen understood that his theory of cultivating all five elements had little practical value.

Once he set that thought aside, he noticed the coughing sounds coming from nearby had grown less frequent, and each breath was coming after a longer pause. He withdrew his hand and looked gently at the young man before him, an eighth-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

”I have set your lungs back into place and left a thread of pure spirit power to nourish them,” Luo Chen said. ”When you return, prepare the Blood-Lung Decoction according to Master Healer Sun’s prescription. Drink it three times a day for five days, and you will recover fully. Remember: do not sit down for too long, do not stay up late, and pause your cultivation for now.”

The young cultivator nodded repeatedly at these instructions, admiration and respect shining across his youthful face.

Suddenly, he spoke. ”President, my name is Hua Zhang!”

Luo Chen blinked in surprise, then smiled and patted his shoulder. ”I will remember that. Go and rest now.”

Hua Zhang scrambled off the bed, bowed deeply, and slipped out of the Medicine Palace under the moonlight.

Only then did Luo Chen come back to himself. His gaze lingered on the few wounded who still remained, and he let out a quiet sigh. These were the gravely injured. Master Healer Sun had managed to stabilize them, but a full recovery would take a long time. Such wounds could not heal in a day or two.

He stepped outside, sat on the threshold, and lifted his eyes to the bright moon. After days without rest, he should have been exhausted, yet a faint sense of ease stirred within him.

The dead are gone, and the living must endure. May there be peace for those in Heaven and those still in this world.

Under the moonlight, Sima Huiniang approached and reported, ”President, most of the allies have departed, but some have remained.”

Luo Chen rose from the threshold, brushing away dust that was not there. ”Let’s go. They are waiting for me.”