An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Luo Chen frowned as he studied the words carved into the gray-white stone monument. ”Alchemy Realm? No way... So the Monarch dabbled into alchemy as well, and that’s what drew me to it?”

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he became almost certain it was true. Back outside, he had vaguely sensed that two of the thirteen paths were exerting a pull on him. Of course, that made perfect sense. If Heaven Refiner intended to leave behind different inheritances and allow each to choose its own successor, then the selected heir would naturally be someone whose aptitude and attainments best matched that particular path.

Among all of Luo Chen’s skills, alchemy was undoubtedly his strongest. Even at the early stage of Golden Core, his alchemy accomplishments had already reached the fourth tier. Across the entire Mountains and Seas Realm, few could compare to him, and he was more than qualified to be called a grandmaster of his generation.

Yet precisely because he knew that, he felt somewhat conflicted. His attainments in alchemy were already exceptionally high. Whether for the Golden Core Realm or even the Nascent Soul Realm he hoped to reach in the future, he felt that his foundation was more than sufficient. Further improvement might refine his craft, but it would not necessarily provide a meaningful boost to his cultivation. That was precisely why, after arriving in the Northern Sea, he had devoted most of his energy to physique cultivation, artifact creation, learning different spells, and practicing combat techniques, rather than continuing his obsessive pursuit of alchemy. Aside from refining pills he had already mastered, he had more or less put aside the field.

As far as he was concerned, being good enough was good enough; why struggle to reach the absolute peak? If he had been given a choice, he would have preferred an inheritance in a field where he was weaker. Unfortunately, choices no longer mattered now that he had already entered.

He let out a breath and shook away the lingering disappointment. ”Forget it! Since I’m already here, I might as well give it a try. With my skill in alchemy, passing the trial of this place shouldn’t be impossible.”

Having adjusted his mindset, Luo Chen turned his attention to the more immediate problem at hand. Inheritance grounds were infamous for their dangers. Even though this place appeared peaceful, there was no telling what hidden threats might lurk within. Before moving forward, he carefully examined his own body. His mana flowed smoothly, and his enchanted treasures were ready for use at any moment. Only the mana reserves stored within his Nascent Core were somewhat depleted, but those could be replenished later. His storage ring could also be opened, and his spirit beast pouch...

Just as he tried to open the spirit beast pouch and summon Black King and Heavenjade to scout the way for him, he found out that the pouch seemed to be restrained by some invisible power. No matter what he did, it remained firmly sealed.

Luo Chen frowned. ”Is it because it doesn’t want outsiders to interfere?”

After considering the possibility for a moment, he abandoned the matter and sat down cross-legged before the stone monument. There was still one issue he needed to deal with before exploring the Alchemy Realm.

He began mobilizing his mana, and as it flowed, a strange power hidden within him immediately began to stir. With each pulse of mana, that power grew more active, until the abnormality could no longer be concealed. A mushroom slowly pushed its way out of his shoulder.

Luo Chen’s face darkened as he looked at the Flesh Ganoderma’s power. This bizarre force continuously siphoned away his mana, using it to nourish the growths of fungi throughout his body. Worse, he even had a hunch that once his mana was completely drawn away, the force would turn to his flesh, life force, and perhaps even his soul would become nourishment for those unnatural growths.

”What a nasty technique.”

Muttering to himself, Luo Chen slowly closed his eyes and spread his divine consciousness throughout his body. At the same time, he also let out the Withering-Flourishing True Fire to envelop every part of his body. If it were anyone else, they would not dare use true fire to burn their own body like this. Luo Chen, however, was different. His physique had long since been toughened through endless tempering by fire. With a body comparable to that of an ancient beast, he could withstand what others could not.

As he sensed the strange power gradually being burned away, a faint smile appeared on his face. ”As expected, the Withering-Flourishing True Fire can counter the Flesh Ganoderma’s power. If I’d kept devouring fire sprites back then and I reached the level of that Vermilion Bird fire sprite, even the Flesh Ganoderma probably wouldn’t have dared provoke me so casually. But if I’d done that...”

He curled his lips and stopped dwelling on things that had not happened and would never happen. He calmed his mind once more and continued stripping away the strange power bit by bit.

***

Several days later, a crimson-robed Daoist wandered leisurely through the green mountains and clear waters of the Alchemy Realm. The lingering power of the Flesh Ganoderma had finally been purged from his body, leaving him in an unusually relaxed mood. Rather than traveling through the air, he chose to walk slowly and take in the scenery as he went. Of course, the beautiful landscape was only part of the reason for his leisurely pace. The Alchemy Realm was filled with spirit herbs of every kind. Although most were only first- to third-tier, their sheer variety more than made up for their lack of rarity. Many were species rarely seen in the outside world.

At this very moment, Luo Chen crouched beside a patch of soil and retrieved a hoe from his storage ring. After carefully digging for a while, he lifted out a strange root devoid of any fibrous strands. Its shape resembled a human tongue. ”Just as I thought, it’s a heaven-and-earth root! The spirit vein here isn’t particularly high tier, yet all kinds of spirit energies are gathering here. Only such a root could cause something like this.”

Holding the tongue-shaped root in his hand, Luo Chen examined it closely. He was no stranger to this spirit herb. Back when he was still in the Qi Refinement Realm, he had seen one auctioned off at the Precious Dragon Black Market. According to the seller, it had been discovered within a ruin hidden deep in the Ancient Plain Mountain Range. The herb’s greatest characteristic was its ability to absorb the spirit energy of any attribute. The longer it grew, the greater its effects became. Because of this, it was particularly valuable to cultivators attempting to break through major bottlenecks.

Back then, Duan Feng had relied on an 800-year-old heaven-and-earth root to advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Ancient records even claimed that sufficiently old specimens could assist with Core Formation and Nascent Soul condensation.

Unfortunately, Luo Chen’s excitement did not last long. After examining the root more carefully, he concluded that it was only around five hundred years old. The spirit energy contained within it was merely average. It might help a Qi Refinement cultivator attempting to reach Foundation Establishment, but even then, its medicinal potency would be somewhat lacking.

”Meh, what can I say... Even thousand-year spirit herbs are hard to come by, let alone ten-thousand-year ones. How could there possibly be so many...”

Luo Chen sighed and looked out across the surrounding mountains. A thought suddenly struck him. ”Wait...”

Heaven Refiner had died more than a thousand years ago. Regardless of how he had arranged the Alchemy Realm while alive, the realm itself should have existed for a very, very long period of time. Yet every spirit herb he had encountered so far was only a few hundred years old at most.

Unable to ignore the inconsistency, Luo Chen quickened his pace and began searching more carefully. He spread out his divine consciousness and activated his Spirit Eyes, sweeping them across the land around him. As his gaze passed over the spirit herbs scattered throughout the mountains and valleys, their ages revealed themselves one after another. There was Snow-Clearing Grass, 350 years old; Red Pearl Flower, 100 years old; an unknown spirit herb, roughly 200 years old...

After identifying well over a thousand spirit herbs, none seemed to break the pattern he had begun to notice. Every spirit medicine in this place seemed stuck below the five-hundred-year mark, as though some invisible limit prevented them from growing any older.

Just as he was considering how to investigate further, something new caught his attention. Amid the endless mountain scenery, the corner of a roof peeked out from among the trees. His eyes lit up immediately, and he hurried toward it.

Before long, he arrived in front of a stone house covering roughly five mu. Its architectural style was strikingly similar to the stone house he’d landed in when he had just arrived at the Lands of Fallen Devils. The familiar design put his mind somewhat at ease. ”Could this be where the inheritance is kept?”

With that possibility in mind, he stepped forward and slowly pushed open the doors. There was no cloud of dust from years of neglect. Instead, a faint scent of books and herbs drifted out to greet him. Beyond the entrance, three pebble-paved paths stretched into the interior of the hall, and each path bore a marker: Study, Medicine Room, and Alchemy Room. The layout was exactly what one would expect from an alchemist’s residence. Back at the Luo Tian Sect, his own residence had been arranged in much the same way.

After only a brief moment of consideration, he headed straight for the alchemy room. ”Maybe Heaven Refiner left behind some miraculous pills...”

With that expectation in mind, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Yet what greeted him was far more ordinary than he had expected. The room contained little more than a somewhat unremarkable cauldron resting above an earth fire outlet.

An artifact-grade cauldron?

He was dumbfounded, and he quickly extended his divine consciousness into the cauldron, only to find it completely empty. There were no pills, no medicinal residue, and nothing else of value.

After searching the room from top to bottom and finding nothing of value, he reluctantly abandoned the idea of discovering a stash of miraculous pills. Just as he was about to leave, however, his gaze settled on the earth fire outlet beneath the cauldron. The scorch marks around it looked far too fresh to have accumulated over a thousand years. Someone had clearly used the earth fire relatively recently.

Luo Chen was startled. ”Someone was here before me?”

Before entering the inheritance grounds, he had already prepared himself for the possibility of encountering other cultivators. However, after reaching the starlit entrances of Heaven of Bright Illumination, that thought had largely faded away. That was because there had been fourteen paths—no, thirteen now, since one inheritance had already been claimed, each corresponding to a different inheritance left behind by Heaven Refiner.

There were surely many cultivators capable of reaching the Heaven of Bright Illumination. Some were Sages, while others were Adepts traveling under the protection of a Sage. Yet after passing through the trials of the Heaven of Oblivion and the Heaven of the Five Elements, only a small number should have remained. Those survivors would then be scattered among thirteen separate inheritance grounds. Given those odds, chances that someone else had chosen the same path as him were rather slim. Yet the scorch marks before him clearly suggested exactly that: Not only had someone entered the Alchemy Realm before him, but that person was likely well on their way to acquire Heaven Refiner’s alchemy inheritance.

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes. ”Hmm... Who could it be?”

He searched the room once more, but it was now obvious to him that the traces had been deliberately erased. Only the scorch marks around the earth fire outlet had been overlooked. After thinking it over for a while, he still could not identify a likely candidate. None of the cultivators who had entered the Land of Fallen Devils were particularly renowned for their alchemy skill. Then again, cultivators of that level usually possessed at least some understanding of the art. The only difference was whether they had merely dabbled in it or achieved genuine mastery.

Unable to reach any conclusions, Luo Chen temporarily set the matter aside and left the alchemy room. If there were no pills here, perhaps the medicine room would contain something of value. Whether it was finished spirit medicines or stockpiled ingredients, he was not particularly picky.

Unfortunately, the room was just as empty. There were neither herbs nor pills. The only things left behind were the tools used to process herbs. Choppers, pestles and mortars, grinders, and all manner of specialized instruments lined the room. Among them was even a peculiar device that looked remarkably similar to a juicer.

The sight stirred an unexpected sense of familiarity. He recognized every item in the room and knew exactly what each was used for, yet he now rarely handled such work himself. Throughout his years of alchemy, the processing of medicinal materials had usually been left to others. Most herbs were either purchased ready for use or prepared by subordinates before they ever reached his hands. Even after arriving in the Northern Sea, people like Cheng Haixin, Heavenjade, and cultivation families such as Zhang Jiadi’s had continued to take care of the tedious preparatory work for him. As a result, although his understanding of these tools was beyond question, he hadn’t actually touched any of them in many decades.

After spending some time in the medicine room, Luo Chen finally made his way to the study. The moment he pushed open the door, a rich scent of books drifted toward him. The room was lined with ten towering bookshelves arranged in neat rows, each filled with bamboo scrolls. Near the window stood a red desk made from some unknown material. Luo Chen slowly walked past the shelves and selected one bamboo scroll.

Snow-Clearing Grass: A spirit herb that sprouts when rain and snow have just ceased and the skies begin to clear. It favors damp and cold environments and is averse to dry heat.

Appearance: Thick primary root with numerous fibrous roots branching from it. The stem stands upright, approximately 2 cun in height. The flowers have six symmetrical petals and resemble snowflakes...

Cultivation: Wild specimens are often accompanied by Snowglow Moths, which collect and disperse their seeds throughout the surrounding region. For artificial cultivation, propagation is best carried out through the rootstock...

Note: The most suitable cultivation environment requires a Lesser Snow Formation and a Lesser Cloud-Rain Formation activated at regular intervals.

Medicinal Properties: Sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It clears heat, neutralizes poison, relieves coughs, and calms wheezing. Commonly used in antidote pills. Owing to its balanced medicinal properties, it may also serve as a principal ingredient in pills that open and clear the meridians.

Processing Method: Grind the leaves into powder and dissolve them in Clear Spirit Spring Water during refinement.

Similar Species: Similar in appearance to White Snow Grass. It shares with Moonshade Flower the following characteristics...

Luo Chen skimmed through the contents of the bamboo scroll. At first, he paid little attention to what he was reading. The scroll recorded Snow-Clearing Grass, a spirit herb he knew quite well. The Ice Fortress had once cultivated it on a large scale, and he was already familiar with its medicinal properties and uses. Yet as he continued reading, his expression gradually changed. The comprehensiveness of the description practically defied belief. Everything was documented in absurd detail, from the herb’s growth habits and characteristics to its preferences and a number of tricks for cultivating it optimally, medicinal processing techniques, and suitable applications. There were even sections comparing it to similar species and listing the creatures most likely to damage or prey upon it. Even the cultivators at the Ice Fortress who specialized in growing Snow-Clearing Grass might not have possessed such a complete understanding of it.

”That’s pretty cool!”

Luo Chen set the bamboo scroll aside and picked up another. This one recorded a herb he had never encountered before, Sky Scorpion Leaf, and the record was just as thorough as the previous one. From its preferred growing conditions to the finest techniques of processing and usage, every detail was explained with remarkable clarity. By the time he finished reading, he felt as though he had studied the herb for years.

Luo Chen slowly lowered the scroll and looked around the study once more. If every bamboo scroll here recorded a spirit herb with this level of detail, then this study alone was the kind of treasure coveted by alchemists, spirit botanists, apothecaries, and herb gatherers alike. The value of these records far exceeded any herbal compendium he had ever seen. None of those works came even close to this level of comprehensiveness. If someone could thoroughly study all the scrolls here, then even without knowing how to refine pills, they could easily become an appraiser for a major shop or auction house.

As the realization sank in, excitement began to rise within him. Luo Chen quickly used the Fine Dust Primordial Art to suppress his wandering thoughts and walked toward the desk by the window, where a jade scroll lay atop its surface. The bamboo scrolls he had examined earlier were undoubtedly valuable. If they truly formed part of Heaven Refiner’s inheritance, they were already treasures beyond measure. Yet no matter how precious they were, they hardly seemed worthy of a Monarch’s entire inheritance. Which meant this jade scroll...

With anticipation rising in his chest, Luo Chen strode toward the desk and extended his divine consciousness into it.

Why can immortal cultivators roam freely between heaven and earth, while mortals remain frogs at the bottom of a well? In the end, the answer lies in two words: spirit roots.

We alchemists understand the principles of medicine and the mysteries of the human body. We can refine countless wondrous pills to cater to the needs of each individual. We can create medicines that regrow flesh upon bare bones, preserve life, ward off poisons, clear the mind, stabilize the soul, and aid cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks.

Since alchemy can accomplish so many seemingly impossible feats, why can it not go one step further? Why can we not refine a spirit medicine that creates spirit roots and shatters the gap between immortal cultivators and mortals?

Clack!

The jade scroll slipped from Luo Chen’s hand and landed back on the desk. Beneath the rays of the setting sun streaming through the window, Luo Chen stood frozen in place, shock written plainly across his face.