An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

After settling on heaven-and-earth root as the core ingredient of the Spirit Root Pill, Luo Chen selected thirteen other herbs, including Nightfeather Flower and Purple Sovereign Leaf, as the supplementary ingredients. In addition, he prepared a few more herbs that could be used as alternative ingredients if necessary.

Although thirteen auxiliary ingredients might sound excessive, the formula was actually quite restrained. In Luo Chen’s view, Heaven Refiner’s idea was certainly ambitious, but it was ultimately meant for mortals who had never stepped onto the path of cultivation. Because of that, the Spirit Root Pill could not be too high-tier. Otherwise, mortals would never survive its medicinal potency. Since the heaven-and-earth root had been chosen as the foundation, there was no need for multiple primary ingredients. That approach was common in third and fourth-tier pills, but low-tier pills generally relied on a single core ingredient supported by a few supplementary ones. In this case, the supplementary ingredients only needed to enhance the heaven-and-earth root’s strengths while offsetting its weaknesses.

With that principle established, Luo Chen began refining the formula. There were a lot of possible combinations to play around with, enough that even a fourth-tier apothecary would proceed cautiously. Fortunately, the overall direction was already clear. What remained was to test, adjust, and refine the formula until every ingredient complemented the others perfectly.

Luo Chen traveled tirelessly between the three mountains and five lakes. His herb basket filled and emptied time and again as he gathered every medicinal ingredient he needed. The work was repetitive, but far from dull. Each herb he collected deepened his understanding of medicinal principles, and the steady accumulation of knowledge brought him a sense of satisfaction.

During the process, he gradually put the knowledge recorded in the bamboo scrolls into practice, combining it with the experience he had accumulated throughout his life. As he proceeded, he finally began to understand why most herbs in this world were no more than five hundred years old.

In a valley between the mountains, Luo Chen carefully dug up a section of Withered Creeping Smartweed, also known as Fleeceflower Root. After storing it away, he straightened up and surveyed the surrounding landscape. If this place really was created to produce a pseudo-spirit root for mortals, then it makes sense that the herbs aren’t that old. Mortals wouldn’t be able to handle the medicinal potency of very old herbs. But with that being said... How did Heaven Refiner keep all of them at just the right age? Too old won’t work, and too young won’t either. I’ve never heard of any technique that can pull off something like that.

After musing over the matter for a while, he set the question aside and continued collecting herbs. Compared to formulating the Spirit Root Pill, gathering herbs was only a minor task. With the plentiful resources in the Alchemy Realm, it took him just over half a month to gather almost everything he needed.

Once the gathering was complete, he returned to the medicine room within the stone house and began processing the ingredients. Every herb required a different method of preparation. Some could be used directly, some needed to be dried, and others had to be ground into powder. As he carefully handled each herb, his understanding of their properties grew ever deeper, and new ideas also began to emerge one after another. Thus, with the heaven-and-earth root as the foundation, he continuously adjusted the supporting ingredients, refining the formula with each new insight.

Time passed in this manner. Before he knew it, another half year had gone by.

When all preparations were finally complete, Luo Chen did not rush to begin pill refinement. Instead, he first calmed his mind and adjusted himself to peak condition and opened the status panel. There was no anxiety on his face. He had long since confirmed that the panel could still be accessed within this realm. Now, as he prepared for the most critical stage, he paid no attention to his basic attributes and went straight to his skills section, opening only the alchemy part.

[Alchemy Techniques]

Perfected Mastery Alchemy Techniques (click to view details)

[Pills]

Fourth-Tier

Third-Tier

Second-Tier

First-Tier

Perfected Mastery Pills (click to view details)

With most of the information hidden away, a simplified alchemy status panel appeared before him. The whole list was much longer than it had been a few years before; several new alchemy formulas had been added to the list, and each one carried a story. The Poison-Repelling Pill, for example, had been derived from a fourth-tier antidote formula that he specifically modified before traveling to Purple Spirit Island. After returning safely from that expedition, he no longer had much use for it and kept only a small reserve on hand.

Among the third-tier pills, the only one that had yet to reach Perfected Mastery was the Nether Origin Pill. It was one he had learned while preparing to break through to the Golden Core Realm. The second-tier Contusion-Clearing Powder had been added much later, after repeated physique cultivation left hidden injuries within him and forced him to find a way to accelerate his recovery.

Still, none of that mattered now. He merely glanced over these entries before shifting his attention to one particular section of the panel: Achievement Points: 300.

This was his greatest source of confidence. He had originally possessed 334, but he had spent 34 of them not long ago to learn the fourth-tier Open Thatch Art. Looking back, it had been a worthwhile investment. In fact, the cost had been far lower than his expectations. He had assumed a fourth-tier art would require a hefty price, yet as it turned out, mastering the Nascent Core Art and Beaded Curtain Lock made things much easier.

Now, with a full 300 points remaining, he felt immensely confident about creating this alchemical formula. So what if someone got here before me? Unless they’re a Saint Alchemist from the Central Continent, they’ll still have to figure everything out through trial and error, which takes a lot of time and effort. Me? Heh. I’ve got the panel. I can skip straight to the important parts.

A faint smile appeared on Luo Chen’s face, and his confidence grew stronger. He did not underestimate the person who had entered before him. Anyone capable of passing the first trial less than three years after the Land of Fallen Devils opened undoubtedly possessed extraordinary attainments in alchemy. Even so, there was no way that person could compare to the legendary Saint Alchemist of the Central Continent. That legendary figure stood at the very peak of the alchemical path; why would someone of that stature willingly enter a dangerous inheritance ground and risk their life for a trial like this?

The smile gradually faded from Luo Chen’s face. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his thoughts before bringing forth one of the many Spirit Root Pill formulas he had revised over the past half year. With a deliberate thought, Luo Chen fed the formula into the system for evaluation.

Incomplete alchemical formula detected. Attempt completion?

This was the formula he had selected most carefully and the one he had the greatest confidence in. He had believed it was already close to perfection, yet the system still judged it incomplete. With a thought, he submitted another formula.

Incomplete alchemical formula detected. Attempt completion?

Then another.

Incomplete alchemical formula detected. Attempt completion?

Again and again, no matter which version he submitted, the verdict remained the same. Every formula was incomplete, and every time the system offered to complete it for him.

The results left him dissatisfied, but not discouraged. The Spirit Root Pill was only a second-tier pill. Even if he let the system complete it directly, the cost would likely be no more than 10 achievement points. Yet even so, he suppressed the impulse.

”This is only the first trial. No one knows how many trials are left or how difficult they’ll be. These achievement points didn’t come easily. It’s best not to waste them.”

Muttering to himself, Luo Chen returned to the desk and continued writing. He tried creating new combinations and had the system evaluate them, but every single combination was still judged incomplete.

Several days later, Luo Chen sat motionless in his chair, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. As he stared blankly at the scattered formulas covering the desk, something suddenly occurred to him. ”Maybe I’ve been heading in the wrong direction from the very beginning?”

Looking at the densely packed drafts spread across the desk, he felt that he was drifting farther and farther from success. After a long silence, he reached into the pile and pulled out the earliest drafts he had written.

Back then, he had just finished studying tens of thousands of jade scrolls. His understanding might have been less refined, but his intuition had been at its sharpest. As he reviewed those formulas, a new realization took shape. The problem might never have been the choice of ingredients, but in the proportions...

With that thought in mind, he began revising the formula from an entirely different angle.

***

A month later, Luo Chen finally received the answer he had been waiting for.

Complete second-tier Spirit Root Pill formula detected. Beginner entry?

A smile spread across his face. It seemed his approach had worked. By studying the ingredients, relying on his own understanding to identify the most promising combinations, and gradually narrowing the possibilities, he had reduced the problem to a manageable scope. From there, he only needed to adjust the proportions of the ingredients, refine the alchemical procedures, and use the system to verify whether the formula was complete.

In this way, he could solve a problem most alchemists had no way to improve upon. Perhaps some would consider it an unfair shortcut, but he felt little guilt over it. He had not obtained the formula out of thin air. He had personally researched and solved every ingredient, every compatibility issue, and every refinement technique. The system merely helped him eliminate unnecessary detours and reach the correct answer more quickly.

”Now it’s time to see whether it can actually be refined.”

After that, Luo Chen walked into the alchemy room and summoned the Primordial Unity Cauldron. This time, he did not spend achievement points to obtain Beginner level proficiency directly. The formula was one he had personally developed, and he knew it like the back of his hand. More importantly, it was only a second-tier pill. With his current attainments in alchemy, refining it posed no real challenge.

Several months later, a strange pill fragrance drifted out from the alchemy room. Luo Chen stood before the cauldron, several spotted pills resting in his palm. Looking at them, he let out a long breath of relief.

”Does this count as a success?”

He instinctively glanced around. No unusual phenomenon appeared, nor did any sign emerge indicating that the trial had been completed. Yet the pills in his hand were undoubtedly Spirit Root Pills.

Just as confusion began to surface in his mind, a weak voice suddenly echoed through the room from an unseen source. ”Second-tier low-grade pill detected. Upon consumption, the pill acts as a temporary spirit root and enables the user to absorb the spirit energy. Duration of effect: ten years. Trial evaluation: Inferior Grade. Result: Failed.”

The moment those words rang out, Luo Chen’s expression changed drastically. ”Where did that voice come from? Who was it? And why did it sound so weak?”

Naturally, no one answered these questions. After taking a deep breath, he forced himself to put those questions aside and focus on the trial’s evaluation instead. ”No way! The pill was clearly successfully refined, and even the panel recognized the formula as complete. So how could...”

As he muttered to himself, he suddenly recalled the evaluation. ”Temporarily spirit root... absorb the spirit energy... effective for ten years...”

Those were clearly the effects of the Spirit Root Pill he had refined. But how had that evaluation been made? No one had consumed the pill, yet the voice had described its effects with certainty, as though they had already been verified.

Since there was no suitable mortal test subject available, there was only one way to confirm whether the evaluation was accurate. After a brief hesitation, Luo Chen gritted his teeth and swallowed a Spirit Root Pill, then immediately sat down cross-legged. A mere second-tier pill posed little threat to him. Even if there were side effects, he could endure them.

A day later, he could tell where the problem lay. ”Ahh, the pill works exactly as intended, but its medicinal potency is too strong. Hmm... I think I see the problem. Seems like only Qi Refinement cultivators can take this pill, but it’s supposed to be for mortals. If they can’t even withstand the effects, then the whole idea is flawed.”

In the end, he had overestimated the ability of mortals to withstand such spirit pills. A second-tier pill was already beyond their limits. Yet how was he supposed to solve this problem? Refining a first-tier Spirit Root Pill was out of the question. A first-tier pill simply could not possess such miraculous effects, and any pill using a five-hundred-year heaven-and-earth root as its primary ingredient would never be reduced to such a low tier.

The problem lingered in his mind for several days without a solution. Then, while reviewing his earlier experiences, he suddenly recalled how different his own consumption had been during his younger cultivation days. His physique had always been far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, and his mastery of detoxification techniques had further increased the amount of medicinal potency he could withstand. That said, if the tier of the Spirit Root Pill could not be lowered, could he instead improve the physique of mortals and thereby help them cultivate through a different approach?

The idea sparked a new line of inspiration. Without wasting a moment, Luo Chen strode into the study and buried himself in research once more.

Three months later, he emerged carrying two new alchemical formulas. This time, the refinement did not take long. Only two months later, two entirely new pills appeared in his hands. At the same time, that peculiar and somewhat weak voice sounded once more.

”Two first-tier low-grade pills detected. One nourishes the five organs and strengthens the body. One opens the meridians and assists mortals in breaking through the Mystic Gate. One second-tier low-grade pill detected. When combined with the previous two pills, it grants the ability to absorb the natural spirit energy. Duration of effect: thirty years. Trial evaluation: Above Average. Result: Passed.”

As soon as the evaluation was over, Luo Chen felt a burst of joy. His idea had been right. Since his foundation was insufficient to further improve the Spirit Root Pill itself, creating the Five Organs Essence Nurturing Pill and Snowspirit Meridian-Unblocking Pill to strengthen the bodies of mortals was a solution.

Thirty years was more than enough. If a mortal could not reach the Foundation Establishment Realm within thirty years, then they would ultimately be unable to pursue the Great Dao. But if they succeeded, they would have established the foundation. In that sense, this perfectly answered Heaven Refiner’s question. The barrier between mortals and cultivators could, at least to some extent, be considered broken.

As for how someone who reached Foundation Establishment through such a pill should continue cultivating afterward, that was beyond Luo Chen’s ability to solve at present. Still, there was no need to think so far ahead. By the time someone reached Foundation Establishment, their dantian would have transformed, their sea of qi would have opened, and the foundation of their cultivation path would already exist. Even if future advancement proved difficult, that outcome was infinitely better than living the short lifespan of a mortal. The situation was not unlike that of Pseudo-Adepts who relied on demon cores to reach the Golden Core Realm. Those cultivators could never advance to the middle stage, yet countless people still chose that path. They had accepted the limitations in exchange for the opportunity to step into a higher realm.

As the comparison formed in his mind, another thought suddenly emerged. If pill-generated spirit roots were possible, then what about taking another path and creating demon spirit roots instead?

The idea appeared only briefly before vanishing into a haze of uncertainty. The details remained hidden behind layers of mist, and he had no clear way to pursue it. Even so, the mere existence of a direction was enough to excite him. Just as countless possibilities began unfolding in his thoughts, the world around him suddenly grew hazy.

”What is going on?”

The abrupt change immediately put Luo Chen on alert. Realizing what was happening, he flew toward the study without hesitation and reached for the bamboo scrolls. To his surprise, the bamboo scrolls were disintegrating as well.

”I can’t take them with me?”

Luo Chen felt a pang of regret. The next moment, the world spun around him. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a completely unfamiliar land.