An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

After forming his Golden Core, Luo Chen pondered how he could one day advance to the peak and then aim for the Nascent Soul Realm. It would take a long accumulation, many years of walking step by step, until he set foot in that realm. And when it came to cultivation, Luo Chen now had to consider two pressing matters—spirit lands and pills.

The former was the most important, but it could not be resolved in the short term. The cave residences on Tianlan Peak were places many people coveted. Even with his wealth... well, his former wealth. The truth was, Luo Chen did not have many spirit stones left. Renting Cave Residence Jia Three for thirty years had completely emptied both his own savings and the Luo Tian Society’s reserves. Other than fifty top-grade spirit stones and the one thousand mid-grade spirit stones that Danxia Peak had to keep, he had far more liabilities than assets.

The pouches of the other Initiates had all been unlocked. Only Qin Tairan’s storage ring had not yet been opened. However, the resources of those storage pouches were all handed over to Tianlan Immortal City, and together with what Luo Chen had previously saved, were just enough to pay back the spirit stones he owed.

Right now, his pockets were indeed cleaner than his face. A third-tier spirit land? He had to set that aside for now. Like those Adepts who came from other regions, he would have to make do with a top-grade second-tier cave residence.

But if spirit land could not be secured, then pills that could hasten cultivation became imperative.

Over the years, Luo Chen had gathered many third-tier alchemical formulas. However, most were incomplete. For instance, during the Green Pill Valley’s Dao Scion competition, he had obtained several ancient alchemical formulas from the Grand Alchemy Institute. One of them was suitable for cultivation, but two of its main ingredients had already gone extinct, and he faced the rather challenging task of making rice cakes with no rice.

As for the others? Imperial Nectar contained good spirit energy, but its main ingredients were various demonic beasts. Although the nectar refined from a second-tier beast could aid in breaking through, long-term use for cultivation would easily cause one’s bloodline to become impure and chaotic. After careful consideration, Luo Chen naturally chose not to use it.

In the end, his attention turned toward the Nether Origin Pill. It was a third-tier pill used for breakthroughs; its medicinal potency was exceedingly overbearing and not suited for steady cultivation, and its main ingredients were difficult to obtain. However, Luo Chen had spent ten years studying it in depth and had already reached Beginner-level proficiency through the system. If he could find substitutes for the primary materials, then even if the Nether Origin Pill retained only a tenth of its original potency, it would still serve as an excellent pill for cultivation.

Yet to reverse engineer and simplify a third-tier alchemical formula that was once perfected by a Divine Transformation Ascendant required effort beyond imagination. Luo Chen could only attempt it little by little.

One might ask why he did not simply purchase such pills. The problem with that was rather simple: While there were uncountable first-tier alchemists and plenty of second-tier ones, third-tier alchemists were scarcer than hen’s teeth. Who would refine such pills? The Medicine King Sect had a proper, mature alchemy system, and its pills were well established, but so were its sales channels. Essentially, their third-tier pills were supplied to Adepts of major sects. For a rogue cultivator to secure a stable supply would be extremely difficult.

This was one reason Luo Chen insisted on transforming the Luo Tian Society into a sect. Only with such a foundation would he have the standing to negotiate stable purchases of third-tier cultivation pills from the Medicine King Sect.

Moreover, there was another matter: His personal demand for pills far exceeded that of an ordinary cultivator. Even if the Medicine King Sect agreed to sell to him, the quantity would never be large. For this very reason, he intended to refine pills for his own use. After his experience with supreme-grade Dustfall Pills and Blood-Boosting Pills, he felt even more strongly the benefits of crafting for himself.

Ever since forming his core, Luo Chen had appeared calm and unruffled before others. Yet only he knew that after Core Formation, the matters awaiting him had multiplied beyond measure. He had to consider spirit lands, cultivation pills, and his core cultivation technique. He had more or less finished work on Myriad Path Convergence, and he could now integrate Physique Refinement into his daily practice, but that also meant he had to integrate Physique Refinement.

And was that all? No, of course not. He still had not even glimpsed the shadow of his own life-bound enchanted treasure. To reach the Golden Core Realm without one was unacceptable, and he refused to follow the footsteps of ordinary Adepts who just refined whatever random mid-grade enchanted treasure they could get.

A life-bound enchanted treasure was tied to both life and cultivation. It influenced not only daily cultivation but also future advancement to Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation. If he were ever to attain immortality, the life-bound enchanted treasure would transform alongside him into a legendary immortal artifact!

Thus, a truly excellent life-bound enchanted treasure complemented its master’s very being. For instance, the sword orbs of the Sword Sect could advance in grade, fight in battle, and temper a sword cultivator’s Sword Will.

Before Core Formation, Luo Chen had already forged a solid foundation. There was no reason to seek shortcuts after forming his core. With countless matters demanding attention, it was enough to drive one to distraction. Yet Luo Chen patiently sorted everything out. Nothing could be rushed. His lifespan limit had increased to four hundred years. Whether he would reach Nascent Soul remained uncertain, but he was still young. Everything could be handled in its own time.

Inside the cave residence, Luo Chen gazed clearly at the three enchanted treasures before him.

”I lack a suitable third-tier spiritual ground and third-tier pills, so my cultivation speed cannot increase rapidly. I have only just reached the first stage of the Golden Core Realm, and there will be little improvement in the short term. To forge a life-bound enchanted treasure will take time. Huiniang and the others have gathered many blueprints for me, but none are satisfactory. This matter cannot be rushed, and I must approach it slowly. The most urgent task now is to fully master the combat methods of the Golden Core Realm.”

Eternity had to wait, but survival was essential. Only by mastering combat methods suitable for his level and gaining the power to protect himself could he continue to seek the path of immortality.

”Spellcraft requires a proper place, time, and sufficient proficiency. Right now, enchanted treasures are the way to go!”

Before him lay the three enchanted treasures he had carefully selected. They were the Mystic Flame Sword, the Three Piercing Nails, and the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel.

Qi Refinement cultivators were limited by spirit power and could barely use one or two enchanted artifacts. After reaching Foundation Establishment, their spirit power was sufficient to control multiple artifacts, yet most artifacts lacked true killing power. To seek greater lethality, most cultivators refined a single low-grade enchanted treasure.

Why not refine several at once? That was due to the limits of spirit consciousness. Without a strong divine soul and sufficient ability to project spirit consciousness, any number of treasures was useless. Though Luo Chen had been able to split his focus three ways back in Foundation Establishment, he had usually just relied on the Mystic Flame Sword in battle

Quality mattered more than quantity! Of course, there were always those who sought more methods and more trump cards—such as He Lianyun. He had wielded a flying sword, a golden brick, the Three Piercing Nails, and the Marsh Gui Diagram. Four enchanted treasures, of which one was actually a set of three, all at once.

And the result?

Indeed, he had forced Luo Chen to reveal his Sky Roc True Form and left him covered in blood. But that was the extent of it. Even with every advantage, and even though he had prepared in advance, he had failed to kill or even seriously wound Luo Chen. The real injuries had come later, when Luo Chen was pursued by a horde of third-tier demonic beasts.

Clearly, He Lianyun’s control over the four enchanted treasures had been far from enough. His attacks failed to connect in rhythm. Had he sent out the flying sword and Piercing Nails together when he dropped the golden brick instead of using them one by one, Luo Chen would have never had the chance to transform. Basically, He Lianyun was the best example of what not to do.

After reaching the Golden Core Realm, a cultivator’s mana was vaster than their spirit power had ever been, and divine consciousness surpassed spirit consciousness. An Adept could indeed control several enchanted treasures... yet most Adepts did not. They focused their efforts on refining their life-bound enchanted treasure, and even if they refined other enchanted treasures, they still limited themselves to just one or two. Qin Tairan was a prime example. He was by no means weak, yet aside from his life-bound Taiyang Furnace, he had refined only a single flying sword.

However, Luo Chen’s choice was completely different. He intended to master all three enchanted treasures completely. This was not arrogance; he truly had the grounds for it. His mana was abundant, his divine consciousness was strong, and he possessed the ability to split his focus.

His gaze fell upon the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel. It was a single treasure, yet also a complete set in itself. Once activated at full power, it could release three hundred and sixty crescent blades.

When Luo Chen had reached Perfected Mastery in Traction during the Qi Refinement stage, he had already discovered his talent for wielding set-type treasures. His favorite back then was Jade Blade, which was a set of seven blades. Later, with the Blue Musk Gathering Serpent Banner, he had controlled nine serpents at once.

It could be said that this type of enchanted treasure suited him best. And since he was without a life-bound enchanted treasure for now, the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel would be his greatest reliance.

He had already inspected it carefully. The treasure was of excellent make; though technically low-grade, its quality far exceeded that of the Mystic Flame Sword. Clearly, it was not the kind of crude artifact produced in bulk by Skysail City, but a genuine low-grade enchanted treasure worthy to be refined as a life-bound enchanted treasure. It was no surprise that it had once fetched the sky-high price of eighty thousand spirit stones. If Luo Chen could master it, his combat power would increase tremendously.