An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

But even those were tasks for the future. For now, he still needed to fulfill his promise to refine the Nascent Soul Pill for Green Pill Valley.

He had already spoken with Qing Danzi the previous day. The latter was willing to give him the alchemical formula, but not yet. The moment he reached the late stage of Golden Core, Qing Danzi would give him a copy.

As Qing Danzi put it, a poor man’s treasure was his greatest sin; having a formula like this without corresponding power would simply invite calamity. And Luo Chen found no grounds to refute the point;’Green Pill Valley’s own precedent lay close at hand. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had come knocking based on the faintest rumor. If the sword sect had actually intended to acquire the formula rather than merely destroying the Five Peaks formation, that battle would have turned into a slaughter, just like it had happened with the Flame Alliance.

Even a powerhouse like Green Pill Valley had nearly failed to safeguard the alchemical formula. As for him, a mere early-stage Adept, letting even a whisper slip out would be enough to bring death to his doorstep. Thus, Luo Chen accepted the arrangement.

”Still, even if I cannot obtain the Nascent Soul Pill formula, there’s another matter I can settle on this trip.”

A glint passed through Luo Chen’s eyes as a firm plan took shape in his mind.

***

After daybreak, Luo Chen completed one cycle each of Wood Ignition and Myriad Path Convergence cultivation before leaving his cave residence. He rode his light toward Danyang Peak and descended at the Grand Alchemy Institute.

The instant his feet touched the ground, an Initiate alchemist stepped forward to greet him. ”Senior Dan Chenzi, this way please.”

Luo Chen nodded and said, ”Very well, lead the way.”

He had clearly been expected here. As they walked, he occasionally cast his gaze over the many cultivators working busily within the Grand Alchemy Institute. Nearly all who worked here were Initiates, and most were well advanced in years. For an alchemist, age was not a flaw but a mark of depth. It was a testament to long study and profound refinement.

From what he observed, there were at least fifty people inside. That meant Green Pill Valley possessed at least fifty seasoned second-tier alchemists, and that number did not include the ordinary alchemists stationed throughout the sect!

For Green Pill Valley to have this many alchemists... what must the Medicine King Sect be like if it can rule an entire domain? My Luo Tian Sect only has three second-tier alchemists, including myself. Well, I’m third-tier, but only barely so. No amount of resources can bridge a disparity like this. It would take centuries, maybe even millennia of accumulated heritage.

Luo Chen sighed inwardly. The more second-tier alchemists a sect had, the greater its pill production, and the richer its flow of spirit stones. Green Pill Valley relied on this advantage to raise nearly a thousand Initiates. These seasoned second-tier alchemists could assist Qing Danzi and the others by processing the large volume of low-tier ingredients required for the Nascent Soul Pill.

They have planned this for a long time, and now I have arrived as well. It’s almost time, it seems.

Suddenly, a subtle ripple brushed his senses, and he became aware of a gaze fixed upon him. He shifted his eyes and met a pair of eyes filled with complicated and unreadable emotion.

The moment the man realized Luo Chen had noticed, he lowered his head at once.

That guy is here?

Luo Chen frowned. The one who had been watching him was none other than Xuan Yunzi, or He Yun, a man he had once crossed paths with.

Back in his Foundation Establishment days, Luo Chen had already sensed that something was amiss with him. The man’s soul had been unstable, and it was faintly cycling between vitality and deathly stillness. Now that he was an Adept, a sweep of divine consciousness confirmed the suspicion he had harbored back then—the so-called Xuan Yunzi was in fact a foreign soul that had seized the actual He Yun’s body! Very likely, he was the elderly Medicine King Outer Sect disciple who had died in Yuanzhao, the very same whose death had provided the opportunity for the original Luo Chen to embark on cultivation.

If even I could perceive it, there is no reason so many Adepts in Green Pill Valley would fail to see it. Yet they have turned a blind eye and even admitted him into the Grand Alchemy Institute. Why?

The question rose naturally, but there was no one to answer it. Luo Chen cast one last glance at Xuan Yunzi, who still did not raise his head to meet his eyes, and let the matter rest. He was on another’s territory, and it was none of his business.

Before long, Luo Chen reached the inner depths of the Grand Alchemy Institute.

Inside the grand hall, five blue Glazed Cauldrons stood in neat formation. Four already had their rightful masters. The remaining one had clearly been set aside for Luo Chen.

”Fellow Daoist, you have arrived.”

Qing Danzi emerged, hands clasped behind his back. Despite having the appearance of a youth, he carried the bearing of an old cultivator worn by the burden of years. Considering the five centuries he had lived, such a presence was natural.

Luo Chen nodded, his gaze settling on his cauldron. ”Shall we begin now?”

Qing Danzi hummed in acknowledgment and said with a trace of anticipation, ”The Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron is divided into one main cauldron and thirty-six subsidiary ones. When the time comes to refine the Nascent Soul Pill, I will control the main cauldron, and you will control the five primary sub-cauldrons. In addition, thirty-second-tier alchemists will each take charge of a small cauldron. This is called the Green Pill Grand Formation, and by setting this up, we can refine a fourth-tier Nascent Soul Pill even though none of us is a fourth-tier alchemist.”

That was Qing Danzi’s plan. It was not wishful thinking; there had indeed been successful attempts in Green Pill Valley’s history to refine fourth-tier pills using this method. The details were indeed extremely complicated, far beyond the ability of any single person to manage, but there were plenty of people here. In particular, the main cauldron and the five primary sub-cauldrons came with exceptionally high requirements. One had to be a third-tier alchemist and also possess a primordial true fire, and Luo Chen happened to fulfill both conditions!

Qing Danzi said, ”I have already lifted the restriction on that sub-cauldron. Dan Chenzi, you may begin refining it and establish a bond with it. Afterward, I will give you the portions of medicinal ingredients you will be responsible for. Practice processing them a few times, just to be certain.”

Luo Chen gave a soft sound of agreement and immediately sat down before the cauldron assigned to him. His divine consciousness spread out and traced along the formation lines on the cauldron, gradually imprinting upon it. His mana surged and enveloped the cauldron; in the process, he confirmed that it was a low-grade enchanted treasure.

This was the standard method for refining an enchanted treasure. However, because the main cauldron was under Qing Danzi’s control, Luo Chen could not draw it into his sea of qi to refine it and had to conduct the process externally.

Qing Danzi watched from nearby, and a faint crease appeared between his brows. Suddenly, he raised his hand, interrupting Luo Chen’s refinement.

Luo Chen looked at him in confusion. ”What is it?”

Qing Danzi shook his head. ”Too slow.”

Luo Chen was taken aback. Isn’t this how enchanted treasures are normally refined?

Qing Danzi clicked his tongue, and his lips moved as streams of words flowed directly into Luo Chen’s mind.

Luo Chen’s brows arched. Is there really a secret method like this?

What Qing Danzi had transmitted to him was a secret method that used primordial true fire to accelerate the refinement of enchanted treasures. With this, the refinement speed would double!

”Go on, try it.”

Luo Chen drew a steady breath and exhaled a vigorous burst of azure flame. He let it gradually wrap around the sub-cauldron. Bit by bit, a faint sense of connection formed between them, one that grew deeper with every passing moment.

Oh? Qing Danzi did not lie; it really is twice as fast. Meaning that when I get my own life-bound treasure in the future, I can use this method to refine it as well. This is going to save me a massive amount of time!

Seeing Luo Chen deep in thought, Qing Danzi merely shook his head and refrained from commenting. He had reached the point where he could no longer afford caution. His lifespan was coming to an end, and he could wait no longer. With the Frontier War drawing everyone’s attention elsewhere, he would seize this chance to refine the Nascent Soul Pill. Once the pill was complete, he would seek a fourth-tier spirit land and attempt to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.

So long as he succeeded, both his looming lifespan crisis and Green Pill Valley’s predicament would be resolved. He might even ride the momentum of the Frontier War to secure an entire territory for Green Pill Valley. In other words, everything hinged on this one attempt.

A mere treasure-refining method was nothing in comparison. That Luo Chen was profiting a little was of no consequence.

***

After several days of refinement, Luo Chen finally stopped. Exhaustion was written plainly on his face. He had refined roughly one or two percent of the cauldron. He’d need another ten sessions or so to complete basic refinement.

Qing Yunzi had also been refining beside him. When their eyes met, Qing Yunzi’s expression showed unmistakable astonishment. Although he was only a third-stage Adept, he had long practiced divine soul arts, giving him a divine soul foundation comparable to that of a mid-stage Adept. Yet Luo Chen had endured just as long as he had! Was Luo Chen’s divine soul foundation no weaker than his own? But Luo Chen was only at the first stage!

In his shock, he failed to realize that Dan Yangzi was even more shaken. The latter had formed his core decades before Luo Chen, yet he had not lasted as long. In both divine soul foundation and mana strength, he could not match this peer.

The Supreme Elder, who had been observing the hall throughout, paid little mind to their thoughts. The stronger Luo Chen was, the greater help he would be in refining the Nascent Soul Pill.

”Go back and rest for a few days,” Qing Danzi said. ”We will continue afterward.”

Luo Chen nodded and stood, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he called out to Dan Yangzi, ”Fellow Daoist, may I have a bit of your time?”