An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Fellow Daoist, congratulations! My sincerest congratulations!”

Chu Kui’s cave residence was very close to Luo Chen’s, so he arrived quickly. It was obvious that Chu Kui had been waiting for him; he came out to meet Luo Chen unprompted and without any delay. The first thing Luo Chen did when they met was offer his congratulations.

Such words were deserved. The spirit power around Chu Kui was calm and steady, neither too overwhelming nor too shallow. It was completely balanced. Beneath the calm, there was a subtle sense of seamless unity. It was the unmistakable sign of having reached Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment.

At Luo Chen’s words, a gentle smile appeared on Chu Kui’s face. After many years in seclusion, except for joining the battle against the Flame Alliance, he had rarely left his cave. Having now reached this stage, how could he not feel pleased?

”I thought this last stage of Foundation Establishment would trap me for a hundred years. I didn’t expect to achieve it smoothly in just thirty.”

Luo Chen smiled and gave a few words of praise. Chu Kui’s progress was within expectations. Among rogue cultivators, his foundation was nothing short of extraordinary. Even when compared to the True Inheritors of the major sects, he was not lacking at all. His ranking on the Debate Platform was not due to his good looks, but due to countless battles fought and won.

In the past, what limited his cultivation speed was the lack of resources. But after the battle at the Thundernet Nine Mountains, Luo Chen had gained plenty, and Chu Kui’s harvest was not small either. And after joining the Luo Tian Society, he also gained proper channels to exchange his spoils without having to handle the selling himself.

This was the advantage of belonging to a force. It was the same for Luo Chen—when he returned from Thundernet, the spirit stones he had were only around a million or two. By right, his wealth should have dwindled after years of relentless alchemy. Yet the reality was quite the opposite. Although he had spent almost everything in his personal vault at one point, the money kept pouring in while he cultivated in seclusion, and his personal fortune now exceeded three million.

The reason lay in the society’s assistance. His earlier spoils had been swiftly converted into wealth by the cultivators of the Luo Tian Society. The same was true for Chu Kui. With that influx of resources, and with the share of top-grade Ascending Dragon Pills Luo Chen had given him, Chu Kui had managed to cross the longest and most difficult stage of Foundation Establishment within just thirty years. Now that he had reached Perfected Mastery, what came next was self-evident.

As their conversation went on, the mood grew increasingly solemn. It was Chu Kui who eventually broached the topic both of them had been thinking about.

”I’ve been practicing Beaded Curtain Lock for over twenty years now,” he said slowly.

Luo Chen’s heart stirred, and he asked eagerly, ”How has it been?”

”I’ve completed the Lesser Heavenly Cycle[1].”

The Lesser Heavenly Circulation? Luo Chen’s brow furrowed. ”Then you’ve only condensed thirty-six spirit beads?”

Chu Kui gave a bitter smile. ”I’m afraid so. With my foundation, I could only reach minor mastery. To go any further would take not decades, but perhaps centuries.”

Luo Chen opened his mouth but had no words. He had not expected that the Upper Path Core Formation art from the Falling Cloud Sect would prove so difficult to cultivate. According to the agreement they had made years ago, Chu Kui, whose cultivation had been higher at the time, would begin cultivating the Beaded Curtain Lock first. Luo Chen would provide him with Spirit Passage Pills to strengthen his divine soul. In return, Chu Kui was to record and share every obstacle, experience, and insight he gained along the way. He was also tasked to attempt Core Formation using this art.

In truth, it was an arrangement meant for Luo Chen’s benefit; Chu Kui acted as a vanguard, testing the path ahead. Yet he had accepted the role willingly. After all, the arrangement benefited them both. However, if after all this time he had only reached minor mastery...

Luo Chen moistened his dry lips and asked, ”I devised a second-tier Spirit Passage Pill, and you’ve tried it. Couldn’t that help you advance further?”

Chu Kui shook his head. ”It is too late, time no longer allows it. Besides, you know well that before Core Formation, we cannot rely too heavily on pills.”

It was a well-known truth in the cultivation world. The closer one drew to a major breakthrough, the less one could depend on medicinal pills. Excessive consumption would easily leave behind traces of pill toxins, which could hinder the advance to the next realm.

Luo Chen understood this better than most. He had suffered from it himself. Only after obtaining the Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method had he managed to resolve the issue completely. Moreover, his constitution was unlike that of an ordinary Initiate. With a five-element spirit root and his titanic physique, his body could endure and absorb a far greater quantity of pills than others. The endurance of a perilous peak could never compare to that of a broad, solid continent.

Luo Chen still felt unwilling to accept the situation. ”Didn’t I give you that record from the Falling Cloud Sect, the one describing how their cultivators used Beaded Curtain Lock to form their cores? You’ve read it, haven’t you? Was it of no help?”

A wry smile appeared on Chu Kui’s face. ”It was only thanks to that record that I managed to complete the Lesser Heavenly Cycle.”

Luo Chen froze, momentarily caught off guard. He had known the Beaded Curtain Lock was difficult to cultivate, but not to this degree. With Chu Kui’s ability, his full support, and even the insights of those who attempted it before, to have reached only minor mastery was beyond his expectations.

”I asked you here today to tell you three things,” Chu Kui said solemnly.

”All right. Go on.”

”First, I’ll pass on every insight and experience I’ve gained while cultivating the Beaded Curtain Lock.”

Luo Chen nodded slightly. That was natural.. Without delay, Chu Kui began to explain. He did not merely speak; he also took out a bundle of bamboo scrolls, occasionally unrolling one to show Luo Chen specific notes. Each scroll held his thoughts and realizations recorded during the years of cultivation.

”This so-called Beaded Curtain Lock involves weaving strands of the divine soul to thread together spirit liquid to form beads of power resembling those within the Golden Core. The hardest trial, and the very first one, is pain! To divide and sever my own divine soul... that pain is something I will never forget. Anyone with a weak will would not be able to endure it at all.”

Even as he spoke, a faint shadow of fear lingered in Chu Kui’s eyes. His once rugged features had grown more refined, and the change alone revealed how deeply that pain had carved into him.

”I came to a conjecture through Senior Linghu’s notes: The Falling Cloud Sect likely possesses a complementary method to lessen this pain. Unfortunately, we don’t. So, when your time comes to cultivate this art, you’ll have to endure it directly.”

Luo Chen nodded, his expression calm and fearless. Pain was merely a part of the cultivation path. When he had tempered his third-tier Archaic physique, the suffering he had endured had been no less severe.

”There’s also another obstacle,” Chu Kui went on. ”You and I both know what it is—the need for a divine soul foundation that is not only powerful, but exceeds the limits of one’s foundation. When I said your second-tier Spirit Passage Pill came too late, I didn’t mean I couldn’t wait. I meant that, with my cultivation and with my physique, I cannot bear a stronger divine soul at this point. We humans have limits!”

The statement was not entirely correct. Humanity had no true limits. Otherwise, how could there be talk of those who became immortals, gods, devils, or Buddhas? Yet in another sense, it was true enough. Each realm possessed its own boundaries; if not, the cultivators of old would never have divided the path into these realms.

”If you intend to practice Beaded Curtain Lock, you must strengthen your divine soul to the absolute limit of what you can endure. Surpassing Foundation Establishment is only the beginning. The only way to make sure that splitting it will not harm the soul origin is to raise it to the level of an early-stage Adept!”

Luo Chen listened in silence, nodding slowly as he took in every word. He resolved to remember it well and planned to take a supreme-grade second-tier Spirit Passage Pill upon returning to refine his preparation even further.

”The final trial...” As he spoke, Chu Kui’s hand unconsciously rested over his lower abdomen, the place where his sea of qi lay. He continued with a voice that carried a trace of unease, ”Once the spirit beads take shape, they develop the traits of a Golden Core. They draw in the surrounding qi and liquefy it, feeding upon the spirit power to grow stronger.”

Luo Chen frowned. ”That seems normal. Isn’t that what all Core Formation methods do?”

Chu Kui shook his head gravely. ”No. One bead is fine, but when the number grows... If every bead acts this way, what do you think will happen?”

A tremor ran through Luo Chen’s heart. Cultivators formed only one Golden Core! If every spirit bead within the sea of qi began devouring qi and tried to become a core on its own, that would cause...

”Imbalance?”

Chu Kui struck the table with a firm hand. ”Exactly. It causes imbalance! Even if your main divine soul exerts all its strength to maintain order, there’s only so much it can handle. I’ve condensed thirty-six spirit beads and completed the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, and that’s my limit. My lifespan is still long, at least another hundred years, but I can no longer wait. These thirty-six spirit beads hover above my sea of qi and they’re actively pulling me toward Core Formation. If I delay any longer, that imbalance will truly set in, and the only outcome will be an explosion.”

Luo Chen fell silent in thought. Linghu Jie had also reached only minor mastery of Beaded Curtain Lock. It seemed the reason had been this exact problem.

Suddenly, Luo Chen realized what he was being told. ”You’re going to attempt Core Formation now?”

Chu Kui exhaled slowly. The mixed emotions in his eyes faded one by one, leaving behind only steady determination. ”That’s the second thing I wanted to tell you. Maintaining a balance among the spirit beads is already my limit. Further cultivation would serve no purpose. At this point, Core Formation is my only path forward.”

Luo Chen studied him for a long moment before speaking, ”Then the third thing you wanted to tell me must also have to do with Core Formation. Is it about the third-tier spirit land?”

Chu Kui nodded. ”I knew you’d see through it. To break through to the Golden Core Realm, a spirit land of a matching tier is essential. Without it, even if the condensation succeeds, the core won’t be able to draw enough spirit energy from the surroundings, and it will collapse. To fail like that is worse than dying on the spot.”

”Do you have a plan?” Luo Chen asked.

”I did try to prepare. He Yuanqing of Green Pill Valley promised me that if I helped him seize the Dao Scion position, I could use their third-tier spirit land. But...”

Chu Kui smiled helplessly at this point. Luo Chen could only share the sentiment. The Dao Scion of Green Pill Valley was now Tao Wan. He Yuanqing’s old promise naturally no longer held any weight.

”I had also reserved a third-tier cave residence in another immortal city, but a Golden Core cultivator from the outer domains seized it. Haih... Luo Chen, I intend to venture deep into the wild mountains to search for a third-tier spirit land and attempt Core Formation there. For this... I may need your help.”

1. 小周天之数 (xiǎo zhōu tiān zhī shù) refers to qi circulation through the body’s two primary meridians—the Governing Vessel (Du), which runs up the spine and channels yang qi, and the Conception Vessel (Ren), which runs down the front of the body and channels yin qi. At this stage, twenty-four points of light appear along the Governing Vessel, and twelve along the Conception Vessel, making thirty-six in total. Completion of this cycle signifies the perfect balance of yin and yang qi and the establishment of a self-sustaining internal circulation of energy. ☜