An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Sages were rare anywhere in the cultivation world, and those who reached that realm without the support of a sect were rarer still. The Northern Sea might be rich in resources and home to countless formidable rogue cultivators, but only three well-known characters had ever formed Nascent Souls. And in truth, even the Three Hermits were not truly without backers.

Moon Hermit had once belonged to the Penglai Immortal Sect before breaking away to establish her own force. Blood Hermit’s origins were even less of a mystery; his origin and deeds were known throughout the Northern Sea. Only Mad Hermit remained somewhat mysterious, though some of the older Sages still remembered the name Fengling Jushi.

By comparison, the man seated across from Resonant Jade was different. This so-called Wilderness Hermit looked remarkably young. Since no one could reach the Nascent Soul Realm without centuries of cultivation, appearances alone meant little, but Resonant Jade judged him to be no more than two or three hundred years old. More puzzling still was the strength of his divine consciousness. Although his mana still carried the instability of a recent breakthrough, his divine soul was already comparable to Resonant Jade’s own and might even surpass it slightly.

Even that might have been dismissed on its own, but the other clues were harder to ignore. Luo Chen knew far too much about Blood Nightmare, had appeared out of nowhere after supposedly spending years in seclusion, and was now searching for soul essence, a rare material used almost exclusively by experts of the devil sect. None of this proved anything by itself, but together, these clues pointed to one likely origin.

Resonant Jade narrowed his eyes and asked again, ”Are you a remnant of the devil sect’s Soul Refinement Lineage?”

Few outside that lineage would have any use for something as unusual as soul essence, much less seek it out so deliberately.

Luo Chen remained calm and asked in return, ”What difference would it make if I were? And what if I weren’t?”

Resonant Jade was caught off guard by the answer. After a moment, he shook his head and relaxed. ”Well... not much. Things have gotten so bad that human cultivators can’t afford to keep fighting among themselves. Even survivors of the devil sect have a place among us, as long as they’re willing to stand against the demons. And if you have nothing to do with the sect, then there’s even less to worry about. I have no grudge against them, and your past is none of my business. Let’s just consider this a chance meeting over a cup of tea.”

His meaning was clear. Even if Luo Chen truly came from the devil sect, he had no intention of making an enemy of him over it. Worst case scenario, their acquaintance would end with this cup of tea.

After considering his words, Luo Chen laughed heartily. ”Fellow Daoist, not every talented cultivator comes from a Holy Land, and not every expert owes his success to a famous sect. I wouldn’t call myself a genius, but I have no reason to hide who I am. You can judge for yourself whether my cultivation is aligned with the devilish path.”

He released the restraints on his mana as he spoke. A boundless blazing aura filled the hall—indeed, without the slightest hint that it had been produced by a devilish art. Though he remained seated, the power surging around him made him seem like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Resonant Jade’s expression shifted as he felt the purity and depth of that power. Luo Chen’s mana was far more stable than he had first assumed. What seemed at first like the lingering instability of a recent breakthrough was simply the fierce nature of his cultivation art.

After examining him for a while, he nodded. ”Your mana is powerful and overbearing, but it doesn’t carry the oppressive aura of devilish arts. Instead, it feels pure and majestic, as though it could crush anything in its path. You truly are not a member of the devil sect.”

Luo Chen smiled and withdrew his mana. The blazing pressure vanished at once, and his robes settled around him as the hall fell still. ”Then can you tell me about the soul essence produced by Devil’s Snare?”

Resonant Jade returned the smile and refilled his cup. ”Of course. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

***

The conversation between Resonant Jade and Wilderness Hermit continued well into the afternoon. Their initial exchange had been filled with cautious probing and discussion of the upheavals across the Northern Sea, but once the wariness between them eased, Luo Chen guided the conversation toward cultivation. Although such experience was exceedingly precious and both naturally held certain things back, they could still share some simpler observations.

Luo Chen had only recently formed his Nascent Soul and lacked the experience that came from cultivating at the realm for many years, so Resonant Jade’s advice helped resolve several uncertainties that had been troubling him. The exchange was not one-sided either; he openly shared what he had learned during his own breakthrough, giving Resonant Jade a perspective different from his personal experience.

After all, Resonant Jade was not alone. He had several Adepts under his own banner. The path he himself had followed would not necessarily suit all of them, so with Luo Chen’s insights supplementing his own, it would be much easier for him to guide his disciples in the future. Perhaps Resonant Jade Mountain might even produce another Sage one day because of what Luo Chen had shared.

After Luo Chen left, an Adept entered the hall. ”Master, are you okay? I saw the formations around the hall react just now. I almost thought the two of you had started fighting.”

Resonant Jade waved him off. ”It was nothing. We were discussing cultivation and testing each other a little.”

The disciple relaxed, then glanced outside. ”Their carriage is following us. Are they coming to Duskmist Court too?”

”Yes. A gathering like this hasn’t happened in nearly two hundred years. For a rogue cultivator like Wilderness Hermit, chances to meet other experts and trade for rare resources don’t come often. Of course he wouldn’t want to miss it.”

Although his answer sounded certain, Resonant Jade continued stroking his beard as doubt crept back into his mind. Luo Chen’s aura had proven that he did not cultivate with a devilish art, but that only deepened the mystery surrounding him. The resources available to most rogue cultivators could never have produced such domineering mana, much less allowed someone so young to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.

***

Inside the Six Restriction Cloud Carriage, Luo Chen carefully pondered on everything he had learned from Resonant Jade. After comparing the man’s insights with what Han Zhan had taught him years ago, he found no contradictions, which confirmed that he had spoken honestly. One part of their discussion, however, had revealed something Luo Chen had never considered before: the relationship between the Purple Mansion, the Nascent Soul, and a cultivator’s future breakthroughs.

Despite holding nearly all of a cultivator’s power, a Nascent Soul was still fragile before the vastness of heaven and earth. It needed to commune with the natural laws to grow, but that connection could not be allowed to deepen without limit. If a cultivator became overly immersed in cultivation and the Nascent Soul interacted too profoundly with heaven and earth, it could easily be assimilated by the world and completely lose its sense of self.

That was why the sea of qi evolved into the Purple Mansion, specifically to guard against that danger. In fact, the thicker the barrier, the less danger the cultivator faced during cultivation and the more freely they could cultivate.

That protection, however, came with a hidden cost. A Nascent Soul sheltered behind a thick barrier was much like a flower raised in a greenhouse. Sheltered from every storm and supplied with all the nourishment it needed, it could naturally flourish brilliantly. Yet the same shelter that allowed it to grow would leave it poorly prepared for the day it had to face the world directly.

The problem would become apparent when the cultivator attempted to reach Divine Transformation. That breakthrough required the cultivator to comprehend the laws governing the world, fuse those insights into the Nascent Soul, and transform it into a Primal Soul. If the Purple Mansion’s barrier was too thick, it would hinder that perception and make those laws far more difficult to grasp. If it was too thin, the Nascent Soul could sense the world more clearly but had far less protection against assimilation.

Luo Chen had never heard this aspect of cultivation explained before. Han Zhan had certainly never mentioned it as well.

As it happened, that was exactly what Resonant Jade was facing. The barrier around his Purple Mansion was too thin, forcing him to remain constantly vigilant whenever he cultivated. The slightest lapse in concentration could draw his consciousness too deeply into the world, leaving him unable to return. That was why, despite forming his Nascent Soul more than two hundred years ago, he had only advanced to the second stage. Truthfully, he had brought the matter up in the hope that Luo Chen might offer a solution or some advice. Unfortunately, Luo Chen had never encountered such a problem and could offer nothing beyond a few words of encouragement.

Turning his attention back to himself, Luo Chen began to reflect. Is my barrier thick or thin? That’s an easy question...

When Han Zhan entered his Purple Mansion, the man was utterly stunned by what he saw. He had watched Luo Chen cultivate almost from the beginning, yet he had never imagined that the space within him would be so vast and magnificent, like a miniature world contained within his body. By then, the two of them were already enemies, so Han Zhan had no reason to fake his surprise.

My Purple Mansion must really be exceptional. If not even Han Zhan could compare, then reaching Divine Transformation in the future might...

Luo Chen stopped himself before the thought could go any further. There was no sense worrying about a breakthrough still far beyond his reach. For now, the strength of his Purple Mansion was nothing but an advantage. At the very least, he could cultivate without constantly fearing that the power of the world would erode his individuality.

He chuckled and let the matter drop. His thoughts returned instead to what Resonant Jade had told him about soul essence. Although the devil sect had been destroyed and soul essence was no longer in demand, a few of the lineage masters in Devil’s Snare had continued producing small quantities of it for the past two centuries.

Their persistence was not difficult to understand. The three lineages of the devil sect had all possessed formidable inheritances. In the past, the Blood Sea Lineage had inspired the greatest fear because its cultivators pursued slaughter without restraint. Even the incomplete technique obtained by Blood Hermit had been enough to make him one of the Northern Sea’s Three Great Hermits.