An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The so-called direct path to the Grand Ascension Stage truly existed, but only technically. The feather offered by Nether Spring contained, of course, nothing more than the Golden Core chapter of the cultivation technique.

Even so, the vision she described was enough to set Luo Chen’s heart racing. Whether it could truly lead him that far was a distant matter, too illusory to dwell on. For the time being, if he could reach the efficiency of a single spirit root and combine that with his alchemy, he might very well measure up to the legendary achievements of a heavenly-spirit-root cultivator. That would mean... just two hundred years to the Nascent Soul Realm!

At that point, his lifespan would surge to a thousand years. Whether it was nurturing his power or making a steady push toward the Divine Transformation Realm, everything would become far more manageable. In short, immortality would finally be within reach!

Luo Chen lowered his head and stared at the fiery feather in his hand. He appeared incomparably excited. Yet, unnoticed by the two Demon Emperors, a trace of clarity flickered through his eyes. Why would they give me such a divine cultivation technique for no reason at all?

From the moment Luo Chen learned that he was to meet Nether Spring, he had surreptitiously activated Mirror Flower Water Moon. He did not project it outward, however, but instead cast it upon himself. And thanks to the Concealment Veil Formation inscribed on his body, the illusion left no outward trace whatsoever. They did not notice anything amiss.

Nether Spring’s powerful divine soul constantly pressed on, and its aura affected those whose divine soul foundation was inferior to hers. Naturally, Luo Chen was impacted. It took him quite some time to steady himself. Only after regaining a sliver of clarity did he seize the moment, letting his emotions spill out in a display of barely restrained excitement. ”Senior, how could someone like me deserve such a profound technique? I’m overjoyed, of course... but I’m also deeply uneasy.”

Nether Spring did not notice anything unusual and spoke casually, ”Don’t worry, we’re not plotting against you. I mean, what use would that be? If I wanted to cripple you or something, I’d just do it. Just take it and study it properly. Once your cultivation improves, you’ll be able to refine a bit more Imperial Nectar for us each day. And when Green Parasol Mountain grows stronger in the future, your contribution won’t be overlooked.”

Is it really just because the daily yield of Imperial Nectar is limited? Luo Chen felt a sense of relief in his heart, yet he still probed cautiously. ”Seeing a technique like this, of course I’d want to learn it! It’s just that I settled on my main cultivation technique years ago, and I’ve already invested a great deal into it. Switching paths now... I’m worried I might fall short and end up disappointing you.”

”You’re overthinking it,” Nether Spring cackled with a smug laugh. ”The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture stands at the very root of all fire-element arts. As for the technique you’re using now, the Wood Ignition Art, I happen to have a complete copy. I’ve looked it over myself. The transition will be seamless. As long as you manage to get the basics right, this scripture will give you an exceptionally solid foundation right from the start.”

Hearing this, not only was Luo Chen shocked, but even Azure Frost revealed a look of surprise.

Nether Spring chuckled. ”That solid foundation means that once you pass through the first Nirvana, you will instantly have the cultivation speed of a heavenly spirit root!”

At this point, Luo Chen no longer had any grounds to refuse. Under the influence of her divine soul, he could only probe cautiously and could not afford outright defiance. More importantly, the words themselves struck too deeply: first Nirvana, the very root of fire arts, and the cultivation speed of a heavenly spirit root!

Each word tugged at his heart and stirred his ambition. He had always suffered from slow cultivation and been forced to resort to unorthodox ways to compensate.

With that in mind, Luo Chen clasped the crimson feather in both hands and bowed deeply. ”Thank you for granting me this cultivation technique.”

***

Within a supreme-grade third-tier cave residence beneath the Transcendence Palace. Luo Chen sat with his eyes tightly closed as the crimson feather hovered and circled above his head. When his divine consciousness and mana flowed into it, dazzling crimson light poured down. In a dazed blur, a crimson-gold light screen appeared within the void.

Upon the light screen, characters appeared that resembled swimming tadpoles—to Luo Chen, they looked like the ancient seal script from his home world.[1] They soon transformed into many wisps of flame that slowly burned around Luo Chen.

In the land of Suiming, there stood a great tree called Sui. Its vast branches spread across ten thousand qing, and they were wrapped in clouds and mist.[2]

A phoenix pecked at the tree, and in a blaze of brilliance, fire burst out. A man named Suiren, inspired by this sight, created a way to drill wood and draw out flame, thereby obtaining the foundational principles of heaven and earth’s natural fire arts.

Suiren and the phoenix thus joined hands to control the fire of heaven and earth, and were known as Sui’s Human and Phoenix Emperors. Yet humankind, ever inclined to reshape history, later erased the phoenix’s merit, and only the human Emperor of Sui remained.[3]

The Heavenly Phoenix, the Ancestor of Fire, rides upon clouds in a carriage pulled by dragons. It breathes vermillion radiance, and it embodies the true yang...

The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture truly lived up to its reputation as the root of all fire arts under heaven. Although Luo Chen had never learned the ancient demon script, once fire-element mana flowed into it, he was still able to grasp the meaning of the words recorded within the crimson feather, and the more he read, the more shocked he was.

He did not particularly care whether the explanations concerning the so-called Suiren and the phoenix were true. All scriptures had such passages; they were more like a book’s preface and bore little relation to the actual content. They served only as a broad introduction. He thus shifted his focus to the detailed cultivation instructions within.

Burn all things in the world and turn them into sustenance for cultivation. When there is nothing left to burn, burn the self and reach a state of neither impurity nor purity. This is called Ultimate Nirvana.

”What an extreme method... No wonder Nether Spring said that even five spirit roots could rival the efficiency of a heavenly spirit root. Normally, during every cultivation session, I pull in all kinds of mixed energies. Not just wood and fire, but everything else as well. This results in impure spirit power that has to be refined over and over again. But with this method... I wouldn’t need to filter anything out. I can just absorb all the energy that responds to my spirit roots, then use fire-element mana to burn it down and refine it immediately into the purest form of energy. That would save an insane amount of effort. I can’t even imagine how much faster I’d be cultivating!”

Of course, according to the scripture, this extreme method could only be used after thetechnique had been mastered to a sufficiently high level. As for what that level was, the answer was simple: the First Nirvana mentioned by Nether Spring.

The word ”nirvana” referred to the transformation between life and death. The scripture spoke of Nine Tribulations and Three Nirvanas. Although the Nine Tribulations were left unexplained, the Three Nirvanas were clearly defined: the Physique Nirvana, the Mana Nirvana, and the Divine Soul Nirvana.

These Three Nirvanas precisely corresponded to the traditional triad of vital essence, qi, and spirit, as well as the concept of the Three Flowers during Nascent Soul formation. Once they were completed, one would possess the full foundation of immortality, and from there, the door to the Great Dao would open!

Besides the description of these steps, there was also a concrete cultivation method. That was to use one’s primordial true fire to refine the impure spirit energy into pure fire-element mana, thus enabling one of the Three Nirvanas. Naturally, it would only work optimally if the cultivator possessed a primordial true fire.

In other words... this technique seemed as though it had been crafted specifically for Luo Chen, and it far surpassed every extraordinary art and secret technique he had encountered along his path! Luo Chen had a primordial true fire, and one at the fourth tier to boot. Using primordial true fire to refine impure mana was not unfamiliar to him either. Qing Danzi had once taught him a similar process while instructing him on using true fire to refine enchanted treasures.

The scripture also described the changes in cultivation speed that would occur after reaching the First Nirvana Realm.

Why had Nether Spring stated that once Luo Chen reached the First Nirvana Realm, his cultivation speed could rival that of a heavenly-spirit-root cultivator? The reason lay in Luo Chen’s five spirit roots. When absorbing the spirit energy of heaven and earth, he would draw in energy of all five attributes into his body, and all that remained was to refine it afterward. Assuming dual-spirit-root or triple-spirit-root cultivators switched to cultivating the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, their speed would still be substantially inferior to Luo Chen’s.

From the worst spirit root aptitude and the slowest cultivation to the best aptitude and the greatest cultivation speed... Nah, screw it, I’m doing it. Even if they are up to something shady, it’s still worth it in the end.

After delving deeply into this technique, Luo Chen realized there was no way he could turn it down. Besides, what could they possibly aim for? He had nothing worth scheming over. At most, there was his alchemy, but even if they hadn’t given him this technique, he would’ve still had to produce medicine anyway. So what difference did that make?

Of course, when there’s no difference, one should follow the path most advantageous to oneself.

Having thought everything through and with no further burdens weighing on his heart, Luo Chen decided to switch his core cultivation technique. However, it was easier said than done. Even after a full ten days, he still had not reached the Beginner level.

”Is something wrong?”

Luo Chen could not make sense of it. He even considered going to the Transcendence Palace to ask Nether Spring about the cause. In the end, however, he changed his mind. Others in his place might have been stumped by this problem, but he had a little cheatsheet.

He opened his status panel, and his gaze slid downward until it stopped at the achievement points.

It’s only the Golden Core chapter, which works for me right now. Ten achievement points aren’t much at all.

There was no point even debating it; he instantly decided to use achievement points and brute-force the Beginner level. This was the second technique that Luo Chen had initiated through achievement points, the first being the fourth-tier Dragon-Slaying Art.

With a flash of light, a surge of clear understanding welled up in Luo Chen’s mind.

”So that is how it is!” he murmured. He had grasped the source of the problem.

The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture had ultimately been created for the phoenix race. Of course, it did not naturally align with the physical bodies of human cultivators. No matter how exceptional his technical talents might be, this racial divide was not something aptitude alone could overcome. As for the solution, Nether Spring had already placed it in his hands.

”The feather!”

Luo Chen’s gaze fell upon the feather that recorded the technique. This... was likely a phoenix feather, one that carried a trace of phoenix blood. Obviously, it was not much. The amount of blood in it was practically negligible. Forget about a phoenix’s True Feather; at most, it could only be considered a little more than a randomly shed tuft of down. Even so, that minute trace of blood was enough. So long as he integrated it into his body, he would become something of a phoenix, which would allow him to cultivate the technique without obstruction.

”In that case, what I need to do now is refine it.”

A wisp of azure flame surged from Luo Chen’s fingertips and landed on the crimson feather. A strange fragrance drifted out as the feather melted, carrying with it a restless and agitating sensation. Moments later, the feather transformed into a streak of light and fused into Luo Chen’s body. Seizing the moment, he immediately began practicing the technique again.

Six hours later, he abruptly opened his eyes. On the status panel before him, a new entry had appeared.

Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture: Beginner (1/100)

”Success!”

1. Seal script is an early form of Chinese characters created during the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC). ☜

2. The qing is a traditional unit of measurement now standardized to 100 mu, i.e. 6.66 hectares. ☜

3. This is a modified version of an actual Chinese mythology bit. Suiren is considered one of the Three Sovereigns, demigods who created mankind and gave it skills and knowledge. He is considered to have invented firestarting. The character sui (燧) is often mistranslated as ”flint,” and the name subsequently rendered as Flint Emperor, but it actually refers to any kind of firestarter. The translation of this specific paragraph was quite problematic due to the original Chinese wordplay; the raws use the word 燧凰 (Sui phoenix) that human history alters into 燧皇 (Sui Emperor). As you can see, the character 凰 (phoenix) is 皇 (emperor) with an extra ”wind” ⺇ component, and the pronunciation is identical (huáng). We drew on the ”Suiren and the phoenix joined hands” part and expanded that a little for it to make sense in English. ☜