An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

As it turned out, Min Longyu was certainly not someone with an inflated reputation. Thanks to Fu Jiusheng’s explanation, Luo Chen understood that his subordinate was in fact quite brilliant. Min Longyu had deep attainments in the seven fundamental restrictions and an excellent foundation, which was why he had advanced so quickly yet steadily along the Dao of Formations.

The reason he had never mentioned such high-level concepts before was mainly because Luo Chen had no foundations in formations at all. His understanding of restrictions only came from fumbling about when erasing the seals on storage pouches. Therefore, Min Longyu had not spoken about the overarching notion of the seven fundamental restrictions but had simply let him start from even more basic things, dismantling and copying small-scale restrictions.

”Min Longyu is most skilled with the Mountain restriction. If you look at the formations he sets up, most of them rely on the power of mountains and earth veins,” Fu Jiusheng explained at an unhurried pace.

Luo Chen listened with great interest. Thinking back carefully, he realized that Fu Jiusheng was absolutely right. All along the way, whether it had been the assault on Crescent Moon Valley, the chaotic rock formation at Gaoling Plains, or the Seven-Colored Danxia Grand Formation, practically everything had been tied to the Mountain restriction.

”Speaking of that, does the Seven-Colored Danxia Grand Formation also incorporate the Cloud restriction?” Luo Chen asked curiously.

Fu Jiusheng stroked his beard with a smile. ”Indeed. Danxia Peak’s mountain-guarding formation is primarily built on the Mountain and Cloud restrictions, supplemented by the enchanted-treasure flying swords that were later added to form the Radiance restriction. That is why its power is so great. Also, the spirit consciousness imprints and divine consciousness imprints you mentioned before all fall under the Darkness restriction.”

With Fu Jiusheng’s explanation, Luo Chen gradually gained a systematic understanding of the so-called seven fundamental restrictions. The Mountain restriction was heavy and stable, and could influence the very land around it and its energy flow. The Water restriction followed the way of water, which was harmonious and gentle. The Wind and Cloud restrictions embodied flowing winds and shifting clouds. They changed endlessly, sometimes sharp and sometimes soft; they were quite difficult to grasp.

Anyone who mastered even one of these fundamental restrictions and added it to a formation would see its might multiply several times over. The remaining three—Darkness, Radiance, and Void—were more unusual. The Darkness restriction had neither form nor substance. It could be woven through divine consciousness or wandering souls, carried along the flow of energy, and even entangled with causality and destiny. Most ordinary cultivators knew a method or two at best; few would ever dare claim themselves truly proficient.

The scope of the Radiance restriction, meanwhile, was much more overt.[1] It referred to things made manifest and usually relied on physical objects as conduits. This fundamental restriction covered such a wide range that one could speak for days without exhausting the topic.

As for the Void restriction, it was of course meant for controlling space. By mastering this restriction and merging it into spells, one could shrink the land beneath one’s feet or hide a world within one’s sleeve. The most well-known use of the Void restriction was the ubiquitous storage pouch. Once incorporated into a formation, this restriction allowed movement through space; crossing tens of thousands of li, travelling across continents, or leaping over seas were nothing more than larger-scale applications. There were even rumors that certain beings in the Immortal Realm inscribed vast Void restrictions within their bodies and created worlds inside themselves!

”These seven fundamental restrictions encompass countless techniques. Their scope is vast as the sea, and practically no one in the cultivation world can master them all. Their applications have many branches: formations, spells, barriers, seals, so on. Since formations are the most in tune with heaven and earth, and their power is the greatest and most practical, ordinary cultivators tend to equate restrictions with formations. But in truth, the two are slightly different.”

Fu Jiusheng spoke at length. His words flowed like a river, and he grew more animated with each sentence. Meanwhile, Luo Chen listened with growing enthusiasm. Indeed, he had always assumed restrictions and formations were mostly the same thing; he had never imagined that restrictions would touch on so many aspects. Now that he thought about it, some of the spells he cast, the hand seals he formed, and the way he guided his mana into particular patterns to produce specific effects were actually all forms of one restriction or another.

”A single conversation with you is worth ten years of study,” Luo Chen said with heartfelt admiration.

Fu Jiusheng let out a helpless laugh. ”I simply know more of the fundamentals. In truth, my talent for formations is quite average and far inferior to a genius like Min Longyu.”

”You are honestly impressive,” Luo Chen replied sincerely.

Fu Jiusheng shook his head with a smile. ”Alright, let’s leave these things for later. I didn’t even notice, but I’ve been ranting for a good while now. We shouldn’t delay placing the Dragon Trapping Grand Formation.”

Luo Chen gave a soft sound of agreement. ”I will follow your directions. If you need me for anything, just say so.”

Fu Jiusheng pondered for a moment. After a brief silence, he said, ”I originally planned to have you inscribe restrictions into the formation materials with your mana and embed them into the formation’s foundation. But since you started learning restrictions from erasing the imprints on storage pouches, that means you have some fundamentals in the Darkness restriction. In that case... I will leave the task of drawing earth spirit energy and smoothing the flow of heaven and earth’s spirit energy to you.”

Earlier, Luo Chen had dared to boast that he learned quickly, especially with the help of his system. But now, after grasping just how vast and profound the Dao of Restrictions truly was, a sense of awe had taken root in his heart. He suddenly felt that this task was a little beyond his pay grade.

He ran his tongue over his dry lips. ”Can I really do it?”

Fu Jiusheng smiled easily. ”It’s not as difficult as it seems at first, especially for someone with a strong divine soul like you. Here’s how we do it...”

***

The Initiates of the Luo Tian Society that had stayed back at Danxia Peak gathered for a meeting. All of them looked toward Sima Huiniang, who was presiding as usual, with joy written across their faces.

Under the weight of their eager gazes, Sima Huiniang set down the jade scroll Xing Zhonghan had sent back and broke into a smile. ”We have succeeded! The Supreme Elder led our people and seized a spirit land with a third-tier spirit vein in the Howling Moon Mountain Range!”

At those words, cheers erupted throughout Huixin Hall. None of them had imagined they would succeed just like that. So little time had passed, yet everything had gone smoothly!

”And that is not all,” Sima Huiniang continued. ”The spirit land we took is far from the front lines and very close to Moonbreak. From a safety standpoint, it’s extremely good territory.”

Another round of cheers followed. After the excitement faded, everyone stared at Sima Huiniang with hopeful anticipation.

”Sect Leader, when are we moving there?”

”Yes, the spirit land is newly secured and must be short on manpower. When will we go over to help?”

”I am willing to contribute with the little strength I have!”

Faced with such enthusiasm, Sima Huiniang could not help but smile lightly. She naturally understood what they were thinking. Now that the sect had a third-tier spirit vein, it would of course provide second-tier cave residences for Initiates. If they went over earlier, they could enjoy the benefits earlier.

In recent years, the number of Initiates in the Luo Tian Sect had reached as high as twenty-five. With such a large group, renting second-tier cave residences in Tianlan was simply not feasible anymore. In fact, each year, more than half of the wealth of the sect’s Initiates was spent on cave residence rent. But with Luo Chen forming his core, most of the sect’s income had gone to supporting him; now, there was very little left for these Initiates. If second-tier cave residences were available, they could save a tremendous amount of money, and everyone would feel much more comfortable financially!

Sadly, understanding their wishes was one thing and fulfilling them was another thing altogether. First of all, Danxia Peak had been their base for many years. Practically all of the Luo Tian Sect’s business operations were centered around it. To completely abandon it was out of the question, so they had to leave people stationed here.

Secondly, Luo Chen had mentioned that the new spirit land still faced many potential threats. In that case, it was not appropriate to send all the sect’s strength over. If a calamity happened and the entire force was wiped out, the loss would be irrecoverable.

Lastly, Sima Huiniang turned her gaze toward the equally excited Min Longyu. ”Has the Danxia Spirit Seizing Formation been set up?”

Min Longyu nodded at once. ”I combined the Heavenly Spirit Seizing Formation and the Incense Burning Spirit Seizing Grand Formation and adapted them to the local conditions. In less than ten years, it will be able to raise the spirit vein here to the second tier.”

”Since that is the case, you should go over first. They need you there.”

Min Longyu had no objections. The others were somewhat puzzled, but after Sima Huiniang offered a brief explanation, they could only suppress the urgency in their hearts.

”There will be time in the days to come; there is no need to rush. The cave residences at Snow Wolf Plateau are not yet planned out. If all of you go now, you will only be waiting idly. It’s better to stay here for the moment and fulfill your duties. Besides, the new territory lacks a lot of things, and you will need to gather supplies and carry them there when you go.”

”Sect leader, when will I depart?” Min Longyu asked.

Sima Huiniang already had a plan in mind. She spoke calmly and gracefully. ”Choose five Initiates who have no urgent duties to go with you. Also, leave your disciple here at Danxia Peak. We still need a formation master to guard this place.”

”Understood,” Min Longyu replied. He nodded as his gaze fell on the group of newly advanced Initiates in the hall.

1. The original states ”as the name implies,” but the implication really isn’t obvious in English. The character 明 (míng) means ”bright, radiant” on the one hand, but also ”overt, clear, obvious.” It contrasts with 晦 (huì), which means ”dark, gloomy” but also ”obfuscated, obscure, concealed.” ☜