An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Several li away from his former cultivation site, Luo Chen sat cross-legged in a newly excavated cave, deep within the abyss. When he formed his Nascent Soul, he had drawn heavily on the spirit energy within the earth veins under his old hut, which had caused the concentration to fall below the fourth tier. Although it was slowly recovering, it was still turbulent and not suitable for cultivation. Therefore, he had moved elsewhere.

The new cave was rough and somewhat cramped, but the spirit energy within it was stable and retained fourth-tier density. With no time to furnish the place or set up any formations, he immediately began using the Fine Dust Primordial Art to calm his mind and gather his scattered thoughts.

Only after half a day did the turmoil within him finally subside. The emotions and chaotic thoughts that had plagued him since his breakthrough gradually settled, and he could think clearly once more. I think I told them enough about what to do outside. Time to see what has changed.

Luo Chen began with his physical condition. The lightning tribulation had left him with surprisingly few injuries. Better yet, he had managed to temper his body with the heavenly lightning, which raised his physique cultivation by 5 points and brought his overall progress to the 40 percent mark.

The improvement might not seem significant in absolute terms, but he was more than satisfied. Physique Refinement only grew harder the further one progressed, especially now that Myriad Path Convergence could no longer offer him any real help. Thus, gaining five points in a single day was an unexpected windfall.

”This was probably the last of the power left behind by Myriad Path Convergence.”

Luo Chen shook his head, expecting to feel his long hair brush against his shoulders. Instead, a faint chill passed over his bare scalp. He raised his hand instinctively, then laughed when he found nothing.

Although his body had emerged from the tribulation largely unscathed, those lightning bolts had burned away every strand of his hair. Still, it was hardly worth worrying about. His hair had already suffered more than its share throughout his cultivation journey. There had been times when it had fallen out entirely and times when it had turned gray and passed through countless cycles of loss and regrowth. If he wished, he could mobilize his origin energy to restore it. However, that would be somewhat wasteful. Since he intended to remain in seclusion for a year or two, he might as well let it grow back naturally.

Having finished examining his physique, Luo Chen drew a deep breath and turned his attention inward. He gathered his divine consciousness and carefully guided it into his Purple Mansion. The sea of qi that had once resembled an ocean of flames had vanished. In its place stood thick barriers, forming what appeared to be a cave residence within his body. The sight matched the descriptions in the ancient records, as well as what Han Zhan...

At the thought of Han Zhan, Luo Chen paused briefly, but he quickly suppressed the emotions that had surfaced and continued comparing his present condition with what he remembered. After a cultivator formed a Nascent Soul, the Three Treasures temporarily united, producing the phenomenon known as the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. Through the Nascent Soul, the divine soul could leave the physical body without immediately succumbing to blazing sun or fierce winds. And this marked the first step in its transformation from a yin soul into a yang spirit.

Yet that was only the beginning. A true yang spirit could withstand even the harshest natural environments, and attaining one required a cultivator to reach the Divine Transformation Realm. That was, of course, still far beyond Luo Chen’s concerns. At the Nascent Soul Realm, the Nascent Soul could move freely through heaven and earth to perceive the flow of spirit energy and understand the underlying patterns of the Great Dao, and those capable of doing so were therefore honored as ”Sages.”[1]

Luo Chen had brushed against that state during his breakthrough. For one fleeting moment, his spirit had merged with heaven and earth so completely that the boundary between himself and the world seemed to disappear. Even so, the Nascent Soul was still an extension of the cultivator’s own power and will. No matter how closely it resonated with heaven and earth, it could not remain separated from the body for long. If it did, the surrounding world would begin to assimilate it and wear away its individuality until nothing of the cultivator remained.

That fleeting union was something every cultivator yearned for, yet it was also inherently dangerous. To guard against this risk, the Purple Mansion came to serve as a safeguard. When the sea of qi transformed, its energy condensed into thick barriers that enclosed the Nascent Soul, shielding it from the influence of heaven and earth. Under normal circumstances, the Nascent Soul would remain within this protected space, only emerging when the cultivator needed to draw upon the power of heaven and earth in battle.

That was why Han Zhan had seldom dared to reveal himself after losing his physical body. To protect his Nascent Soul, he had hidden inside Luo Chen’s Primordial Unity Cauldron, the Soul-Refining Banner, and then the Soul-Nurturing Wood. He had even gone as far as to entirely suspend his cultivation rather than risk having his very existence worn away by prolonged exposure to the outside world.

As Luo Chen examined his own Purple Mansion, he discovered that he couldn’t tell exactly how thick its walls were. The space enclosed within them was equally astonishing, stretching far beyond the three cun described in ordinary records.

I suppose that’s what a solid foundation does...

With that understanding, Luo Chen shifted his focus to the interior of his Purple Mansion. Pure mana filled the space and gathered into mist-like currents that drifted slowly through the space. At the center of this swirling mist sat a fair-skinned tiny being that looked exactly like Luo Chen. Though small enough to fit in his palm, the being was perfectly formed, and every detail of its face and limbs mirrored Luo Chen’s own. It was, in fact, a flawless miniature of him. The profundity of such a transformation was difficult to express in words.

At this moment, the tiny Luo Chen remained still as the surrounding currents of mist converged upon it. However, none of it could draw any closer. As he observed the mist more carefully, Luo Chen’s expression gradually turned serious. This mana did not belong to him, nor was it something granted by heaven and earth after surviving the lightning tribulation.

”This is... the mana Han Zhan refined over his entire lifetime!”

Not far away, an azure-golden flame danced with excitement. The Withering-Flourishing Fire Sprite had followed him into the Purple Mansion and now hovered around him as though eagerly awaiting praise.

Luo Chen sent a reassuring thought through his divine soul and sent out a strand of mana to brush over the flame. ”I know, I know. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The praise delighted the fire sprite. Its branches swayed with even greater excitement before gathering a wisp of Han Zhan’s lingering mana and carrying it toward Luo Chen’s Nascent Soul.

At first, Luo Chen assumed it was simply seeking more praise and thought little of it. He was still considering how to expel the mana left behind after Han Zhan’s Nascent Soul had been refined; he had no desire to let another person’s mana influence his own Nascent Soul. But then he sensed something unexpected within the wisp, and his expression changed. ”Wait...”

His Nascent Soul trembled faintly as it drew the wisp of mist-like energy from the fire sprite. The moment it touched the mana, he was stunned. It was perfectly pure wood-attribute energy, completely cleansed of any trace of spirituality Han Zhan might have left; not even the slightest hint of divine soul aura remained.

Luo Chen turned his attention to the fire sprite. ”You refined this as well?”

The fire tree proudly waved its branches.

He watched it for a moment as he recalled the events during the lightning tribulation. He had not lacked techniques to defend himself at the time. Aside from relying on his physical body and the Profound Dust Armor, he also had the Withering-Flourishing Fire Sprite. It could have played a significant role in helping him withstand the heavenly lightning, yet he had chosen not to use it. It was not because he was afraid of the sprite; from the very beginning, he had intended to preserve its strength just in case Han Zhan made a move against him. In the end, that caution proved correct. When Han Zhan turned against him, it was precisely his true fire that burned Han Zhan’s Nascent Soul and erased every trace of his divine soul.

Although the fire had not undergone the tribulation itself, it had still absorbed some of the heavenly spirit rain when Luo Chen’s Purple Mansion took shape, and its spirituality had grown noticeably as a result. More than that, this transformation seemed to have allowed it to fully assimilate the wisp of Nirvana Sacred Fire it had devoured in the Alchemy Palace. That was probably why it had been able to refine away every lingering trace of Han Zhan’s Nascent Soul on its own, without any guidance from Luo Chen.

This actually works out perfectly for me. Now that Han Zhan’s imprint has been erased, I can absorb all this pure mana for myself! And if I do, I can save decades of effort consolidating my cultivation!

The tiny Luo Chen’s face lit up with delight. Han Zhan had said Luo Chen was preparing everything for his benefit. As it turned out, he had been right in a sense, except it was the opposite sense. It was Han Zhan who had spent a lifetime cultivating, only to leave the fruits of his labor to Luo Chen.

Although his mana was of the wood attribute, converting it would not be difficult for Luo Chen. After all, within the cycle of the Five Elements, wood gave rise to fire, and Luo Chen had already undergone a similar conversion when he changed cultivation techniques back when he was an early-stage Adept. He knew exactly what to do.

Even so, he resisted the urge to begin immediately. Before refining the mana and consolidating his cultivation, he first needed to understand all the changes brought about by the tribulation.

With that in mind, Luo Chen shifted his attention to the enchanted treasures drifting within the Purple Mansion.

The Profound Dust Armor was still battered and worn, yet amid its damaged exterior, Luo Chen could feel a clear sense of renewal beginning to stir. The lightning power it had absorbed was tempering the formations that had been forcibly engraved. As the armor slowly repaired itself, those formations would fuse more completely with the materials themselves, becoming like the meridians and blood vessels of the enchanted treasure. Once that process was complete, the armor would likely advance into a True Artifact. Like an actual Sage, it would no longer depend solely on the power stored within itself but could connect with heaven and earth and draw upon the natural spirit energy. This was the defining difference between an enchanted treasure and a True Artifact. Though it sounded simple, the gulf between them was immense.

Meanwhile, the Moonbreak Wings were also drifting within the Purple Mansion, slowly absorbing the lightning power left behind by the tribulation. Unfortunately, their foundation was not nearly as strong as the armor’s. From what Luo Chen could tell, even if they fully absorbed the remaining lightning power, they would only rise to the top grade, still far from being able to fuse with their formations and develop the internal channels required of a True Artifact.

After briefly assessing their condition, Luo Chen stopped paying attention to them. Truthfully, there was only one treasure he truly cared about—the Primordial Unity Cauldron!

The small gray cauldron trembled faintly, and that slight movement lifted the weight that had burdened his heart for so long. Joy welled up within his Nascent Soul.

”I can finally use my life-bound treasure again!”

1. The raw states that attaining this perception meant one had ”seen the true heaven and earth” and present this as the basis of the title (真人, literally ”True Person”). The connection relies on the shared character 真, ”true,” and does not carry over naturally into English as we are using Sage. Therefore, this line has been edited. ☜