An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

As he came out, Luo Chen greeted the Lightning Prison Roc, but this time the other barely acknowledged him. Luo Chen did not take it to heart and went upward.

Before long, he emerged from the side hall. Just as he planned to bypass the main hall and head back, a figure appeared ahead and happened to block his path. ”You want Heaven Smelter to refine a life-bound treasure for you?”

It was Nether Spring. Luo Chen knew that none of his little moves on Green Parasol Mountain could truly escape her notice. Hence, he had no intention of hiding it either.

So he answered naturally, ”The Shangshu Cauldron I’m using now is ultimately someone else’s life-bound treasure. It doesn’t suit me, and it’s quite damaged as well. I can use it to refine second- or third-tier pills, sure, but if I were to use it to refine a fourth-tier pill, the outcome would be failure, without question.”

Luo Chen’s expression turned solemn. ”Deputy Palace Leader Nether Spring, you don’t want the Transformation Pill to fail either, do you?”

Nether Spring stared at him seriously and asked in return, ”Will other alchemy tools not do? I have quite a few in my possession. I even have a quasi-True Artifact one, actually. Once you refine and bind it, wouldn’t the results be even better?”

Luo Chen slowly shook his head. ”No. Only something that truly belongs to me will do.”

Nether Spring refused to believe it. With a sweep of her wings, an azure alchemy furnace clanged as it dropped onto the ground. ”This is the Qingyuan Cauldron. It belonged to a rogue Nascent Soul alchemist from the Eastern Wilderness. He refined pills for Green Parasol Mountain a long time ago. Unfortunately, he had too many petty schemes, and the Primal Sovereign personally killed him. This cauldron is even higher in grade than a top-grade enchanted treasure. It’s really only one step away from becoming a True Artifact. Take it and try.”

Luo Chen froze for a brief moment. When he heard the cauldron’s name, his jaw almost dropped.

Qingyuan Cauldron? Was that not the very cauldron recorded in the Treatise of Qing Yuanzi he had obtained from Mi Shuhua? In that book, Qing Yuanzi mentioned that, if he succeeded in forming his core, he would choose the Qingyuan Cauldron as his life-bound treasure. And now...

Don’t tell me the original owner of this cauldron was actually Qing Yuanzi...A rogue Nascent Soul alchemist... Just how fortunate does someone have to be to reach that realm... and just how unlucky to end up killed like that by Rosycloud?

The thought lingered for only a moment. Luo Chen quickly decided there was no point in dwelling on it further. He reached out and took the Qingyuan Cauldron.

”Fine. If you insist, then I’ll give it a try. It’s not my resources that are getting burned anyway.”

He could not be bothered to argue, and he simply named a date to refine the Transformation pills. With that settled, he took his leave.

***

Half a month later, after Luo Chen finished processing the necessary materials, he prepared to refine pills within the Transcendence Palace.

This time, no low-tier avian beasts were present to observe. Only Azure Frost, Nether Spring, and Pure Crane, who handled the menial tasks, remained at the scene. The quasi-True Artifact Qingyuan Cauldron landed on the ground, and his Withering-Flourishing True Fire ignited in an instant.

Luo Chen flicked his finger. The blood essence extracted from Heaven Smelter was the first to fall into the cauldron, followed by various auxiliary ingredients. During this process, Luo Chen’s wrists turned unceasingly, and his fingers danced with nimble precision, as if embroidering, forming one seal after another. Under his control, the medicinal ingredients within the cauldron began to be slowly tempered, refined, and fused.

Nether Spring watched with a hint of tension. Rosycloud did not concern herself with the long-term development of Green Parasol Mountain, and Azure Frost focused solely on her personal cultivation, but Nether Spring could not afford such indifference. There were simply too few experts in the Transcendence Palace; it fell far short of what a Holy Land should possess. If the Transformation Pills could be successfully refined, she would be able to select promising seedlings from among third-tier demonic beasts and nurture them properly.

Given enough time, she would certainly be able to produce a large number of Demon Emperors When Green Parasol Mountain grew strong and prosperous, Rosycloud would naturally be pleased.

Nether Spring herself possessed some knowledge of alchemy, but she was merely a beginner. This path depended too much on hands-on practice, and Nether Spring simply did not have the time to refine pills again and again to improve. And human alchemists at the Nascent Soul Realm were difficult to keep in control. In her eyes, Luo Chen was the most suitable choice.

I hope he does not stir up any trouble!

As Nether Spring pondered to herself, time slowly passed, and soon, five days had flown by.

Suddenly, a burnt smell spread through the air.

Nether Spring’s expression shifted. ”It failed already?”

She had observed very carefully. From start to finish, Luo Chen had not played any tricks and had earnestly refined to the best of his ability. Even with her limited alchemical knowledge, she could clearly see that every alchemy technique Luo Chen used was as perfect as anything could ever be. Yet even so, it had still ended in failure. She found the outcome difficult to accept.

Luo Chen felt some regret, but his state of mind remained steady and composed. ”Failure is only natural. How could something like this succeed on the first attempt?”

He sent out a strand of mana, and a mass of pitch-black liquid immediately flew out from the Qingyuan Cauldron. Luo Chen caught it in his hand and examined it closely to see what had happened.

After a long while, he started to explain the reasons for the failure. ”The main problem is the Nascent Soul. It’s simply too strong. Even a tiny trace is hard for me to control. And I still have to make sure that power doesn’t lose its original nature, which only makes things harder. On top of that, the Qingyuan Cauldron is too high in grade, and it’s a wood-element item that just doesn’t suit me anymore. Even after half a month of trying, I couldn’t get a good feel for it. Also, there were issues with how the medicinal ingredients were handled as well...”

As each reason was laid out, Nether Spring’s expression grew increasingly dark. She circled the Qingyuan Cauldron twice, then finally settled with both feet on the rim of the cauldron. ”So that’s what this is really about. In the end, you just want to use Green Parasol Mountain’s strength to help you refine your own life-bound treasure, don’t you?”

Under her gaze, Luo Chen nodded firmly. ”Look... I may be trying to profit here, but that doesn’t mean I am scamming you. If I want to refine pills beyond my level, I truly need a life-bound cauldron of my own. I hope you will grant me this.”

Nether Spring stared fixedly at Luo Chen. ”You keep talking about compatibility, yet the Primordial Unity Cauldron you mentioned is a five-element enchanted treasure. Right now, you’re cultivating the fire path. Do you really think it suits you?”

Luo Chen smiled freely. ”You should understand this as well as I do. My core is fundamentally based on five elements. What I’m practicing now is just a workaround, and the fire-element heavenly spirit root I use to cultivate is nothing but a simulation. The life-bound enchanted treasure that suits me best is still one that contains all five elements.”

That was precisely what made the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture so terrifying. Without altering the fundamental nature of the Golden Core, it simulated a single fire-element spirit root and increased his cultivation speed more than ten times over. As the one who had given him this technique, Nether Spring understood that better than anyone.

Silence filled the moment. For a moment, no one spoke. In the end, it was a cool and detached female voice that broke the awkward pause. ”It’s nothing more than a life-bound treasure. Nether Spring, just grant his request.”

Nether Spring took a deep breath and snorted coldly. ”How troublesome!”

At this, Luo Chen could not help but reveal a look of joy. ”In that case, I’ll have to thank you in advance!”

***

Troublesome? It was indeed very troublesome. Asking Heaven Smelter to help craft an enchanted treasure meant restoring a portion of his strength. Once that happened, the number of variables would increase drastically. However, the Transformation Pill stood as the most important of Nether Spring’s plans. Now that an opportunity had finally presented itself, she was unwilling to let it slip away. Thus, she could only ask Azure Frost to keep watch over Heaven Smelter.

Inside the prison, under the gazes of Luo Chen and Azure Frost, Heaven Smelter silently took the Primordial Unity Cauldron blueprints. After a glance, he said coldly, ”I don’t have to read them. I have refined some of these before. Just make sure the materials are sufficient.”

Then, his gaze shifted to Luo Chen. ”And the things you promised?”

Azure Frost flicked her hand, and a medicine bottle dropped onto the ground in front of Heaven Smelter. Heaven Smelter picked it up in silence and let out a low scoff. ”Luo Chen, they truly treat you well!”

Luo Chen acted as though he had not heard the mockery in his tone and began taking items out of his storage ring. First came the most basic first-tier and second-tier minerals. After that followed Geng Metal, Black Sinkwood, Cold Marrow, Fire Spirit Diamond, and Tracing Mud—the five third-tier primary materials.

There were large quantities of each material, at least ten batches each. Heaven Smelter gave them a brief inspection, and a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face. ”You have prepared quite thoroughly.”

Luo Chen smiled slightly. ”Of course. When it comes to a life-bound enchanted treasure, how could I afford to be anything less than thorough? I also have some additional items that can be incorporated. I hope you can examine them as well.”

A large chest of Profound Link Celestial Crystals popped up. Heaven Smelter was somewhat surprised. ”So many? This rivals the entire accumulated wealth of a major sect!”

Next came an icy jade bottle. Heaven Smelter opened it and took a light sniff, and his brows arched slightly. ”Fourth-tier Cold Marrow Ice Essence... You got this from the Ice Fortress?”

Luo Chen nodded. Then, under the gaze of the two before him, he solemnly retrieved a pure white flower from his Thundernet Hoard Ring, one that resembled a camellia in full bloom. The instant it appeared, streaks of exquisitely pure lightning power spread through the dim prison. Arcs of lightning twisted like living serpents, filling the space with violent vitality.

Heaven Smelter’s expression shifted at once. Azure Frost also revealed a look of interest. At the same time, a powerful aura surged from the corridor. The Lightning Prison Roc abruptly appeared beside Luo Chen, his eyes blazing as he stared at the white flower. ”Millennial Ligtning Essence!”

Heaven Smelter glanced at the Lightning Prison Roc, then turned to Luo Chen. He stroked his beard as he said, ”You know... Now I am somewhat looking forward to this cauldron of yours.”