Immortality Begins as an Alchemy Master 138

Chapter 122: Diamond Transforms into Jade, Qi Refining Eighth Layer (Seeking Subscriptions)

July 15, 2024

Chapter 122: Diamond Transforms into Jade, Qi Refining Eighth Layer (Seeking Subscriptions)

Where did the sense of urgency come from?

It was simply because the conflicts ignited by high-level cultivators were undoubtedly beyond the capabilities of a Qi Refining cultivator like him.

Even a mere ripple of the conflict could harm innocent bystanders.

Strength was the cause of Luo Chen’s urgency!

But although he felt a sense of urgency, cultivation was something that couldn’t be rushed.

Luo Chen still followed his daily routine of alchemy and cultivation.

Of course, this was just a superficial act.

Privately, he accelerated his exploration of Changyin Mountain.

Previously, he had only explored a few kilometers, but in just a few days, he had already expanded his exploration to a hundred kilometers.

According to his investigation, the number of demonic wolves in Changyin Mountain had indeed decreased significantly, and there were no second-rank demonic beasts.

They seemed to have migrated elsewhere.

Remaining in Changyin Mountain, besides a small number of Gray Leaf Wolves and Frost Wolves, were only some relatively weaker first-rank demonic beasts.

These demonic beasts naturally wouldn’t discover Luo Chen’s Concealing Breath Spirit Technique.

And even if a first-rank demonic beast with unique talent discovered him, it wouldn’t be his opponent.

With this convenience, Luo Chen naturally set up several hidden escape points.

If something unexpected happened in Great River City, he could escape immediately.

After resolving his worries, Luo Chen devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

…

“Finally, Qi Refining Eighth Layer!”

In the spiritual vein cave, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, a faint white light flickered in the originally dim cave.

This was a sign of his increasingly profound mastery of the Spirit Eye Technique.

Having just broken through his realm, he hadn’t controlled his spiritual energy properly, so the Spirit Eye Technique activated automatically.

Blinking, Luo Chen took a deep breath.

This breakthrough was two days later than he had expected.

Of course, this wasn’t a bad thing.

A strand of spiritual energy appeared on his fingertips. The usually pale and bluish glow was now fading to white, showing a light blue color.

This light blue spiritual energy luster was the culprit that made his breakthrough two days late.

According to Luo Chen’s guess, when the color of the spiritual energy turned deep blue, it meant that the refining of Qi Refining spiritual energy had reached its peak.

“Although I have just entered the eighth layer, with the purity of my simply refined spiritual energy, it is certainly far superior to that of ordinary independent cultivators.”

“Moreover, my own spiritual energy is much stronger than that of my peers. In this way, I have a greater advantage in battles against those at the same level!”

“I wonder, how does my current spiritual energy compare to an incomplete Qi Refining Ninth Layer?”

Luo Chen began to ponder this question.

The cultivation of the late Qi Refining stage is drastically different from the early and middle stages.

In the first two stages, the focus was on continuously breaking through the upper limit of the dantian to accommodate more spiritual energy.

In the late Qi Refining stage, although there is still a requirement to refine more spiritual energy, the emphasis is on refining the spiritual energy.

After a cultivator advances to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, the dantian will double in size, then temporarily solidify. Only after the Foundation Establishment will it expand again.

Therefore, from Qi Refining seventh layer to eighth layer, is to fill the expanded dantian with spiritual energy.

Luo Chen had now completed this task.

As for Qi Refining eighth layer to Qi Refining ninth layer, the task is to completely purify the spiritual energy.

It sounds simple.

But in fact, this is the most difficult part.

Firstly, independent cultivators do not have specific methods for refining spiritual energy.

Secondly, complete purification means repeated tempering of impurities.

And after each tempering of a little spiritual energy, more spiritual energy needs to be added to keep the dantian full of spiritual energy.

The resources consumed are a huge amount of spiritual stones.

Ordinary independent cultivators can hardly bear this burden.

This can be seen from the fact that among the over ten thousand independent cultivators in Great River City, there were only a few hundred Qi Refining late-stage cultivators, and only dozens of Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivators.

Most of those dozens were old cultivators like Sī Kōng Shòu Jiǎ.

They spent most of their lives gradually reaching the Qi Refining ninth layer.

But after reaching the ninth layer, they lacked the subsequent strength to strive for the Foundation Establishment period.

Many of the Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivators Luo Chen knew were over sixty years old.

Luo Wudi, Yang Wei, Zhang Shicong, Mi Junping, and Zeng Wen.

These people basically had no chance of reaching Foundation Establishment.

Unless someone provided them with more than two Foundation Building Pills.

The relatively younger Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivators also mostly had their own resources.

Qin Liangchen and his wife made a fortune from a spiritual fish lake, using it to cultivate for more than ten years before reaching the Qi Refining ninth layer.

Ke Yue Lin from the Beast Hall consumed a spiritual grass in the Gu Yuan Mountain Range and achieved success in one go.

Gu Caiyi was very lucky.

She had been cultivating in the Heavenly Fragrance Tower. Although she hadn’t obtained the orthodox cultivation method of the Huanhuan Sect, she occasionally received guidance from Miss Xiangxiang and the Foundation Establishment cultivator Gong Huiqin, so her progress was very good.

But even so, she ultimately relied on a bottle of high-grade Dust-Transforming Pill bestowed by Fei Bowen to barely break through to the Qi Refining ninth layer.

“Sister Xiuxiu must have also received help from her partner to quickly reach Qi Refining ninth layer and even reach Great Perfection!”

He had heard about her partner’s deeds; he came from the Jade Tripod Sword Sect.

His Foundation Establishment failed, so he was assigned to the outer sect.

Originally, he was a gifted young cultivator.

Naturally, he wouldn’t lack some small tricks for purifying spiritual energy.

Luo Chen felt sorry for these independent cultivators who had obtained cultivation techniques, but they were abridged versions.

They were stuck for ten or twenty years when they were only one or two steps away from Foundation Establishment.

They lacked specific methods and could only fumble along, even using pills indiscriminately without knowing the methods of refinement, compressing their spiritual energy as a way of refining.

However, this caused enormous damage to their dantian.

Even if they cultivated to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining in this way, the aftereffects on their dantian would make Foundation Establishment very likely to fail.

After sadness came relief.

Now that his Great Perfection Longevity Skill was complete, it made up for the deficiency in refined spiritual energy.

Although he currently understood the “what” but not the “why,” he could now cultivate normally.

After he completely purified his spiritual energy and advanced to the Qi Refining ninth layer, he could even explore the specific principles from the repeated operation of his cultivation technique.

By then, he would understand both the “what” and the “why”.

After his breakthrough, his spiritual energy fluctuated greatly, and his mind was somewhat distracted, so Luo Chen thought a lot.

But after his complex thoughts, he calmed his mind and familiarized himself with his current state.

Whether it’s the Flame Manipulation Technique or the Concealing Breath Spirit Technique, they both emphasize the control of spiritual energy.

Now, his control over spiritual energy fluctuations was extremely proficient.

By daybreak, his spiritual energy fluctuations had returned to what they were at the Qi Refining seventh layer.

This was naturally due to the mastery-level Concealing Breath Spirit Technique.

…

“Are they going to have another sect meeting again?”

Luo Chen frowned, why did he have monthly meetings after transmigration?!

He was a bit annoyed by this, and didn’t really want to go.

However, Sī Kōng Shòu Jiǎ repeatedly urged him, saying that today’s meeting was very important, so he reluctantly went to the main hall.

But when he arrived at the main hall, a strange scene appeared.

In the Bright Moon Hall, the nine halls were all gathered, and the four elders were present, but the sect leader, Uncle Mi Shuhua, was absent.

Mi Junping presided over the meeting. Although the matters discussed were indeed more important than usual, they weren’t as crucial as Sī Kōng Shòu Jiǎ had said.

“Playing me?”

Don’t you know that this little master has broken through and has a lot of things to do?

To this, Luo Chen could only complain with a Chinese idiom: Cao Pi’s father-in-law doesn’t speak – Zhen Ji’s father is speechless. (This idiom implies a situation where someone is silent because they are too angry or embarrassed to respond.)

After receiving his share of the profits and elixirs, Luo Chen found Wang Yuan.

The two went to Wang Yuan’s residence here together; they were going to discuss the Blood Burning Pill.

As they passed through the courtyard, their footsteps stopped.

“Is that the body cultivator who follows the path of ancient body refinement?”

Seeing the two smiling faces, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan bowed respectfully.

Mi Shuhua smiled: “It is indeed him. Wang Yuan, come and meet Instructor Miao.”

Wang Yuan didn’t hesitate and spoke decisively: “Junior Wang Yuan greets Instructor Miao!”

“Hehe, compared to Instructor, I prefer others to call me Miao Zhenxiu.” (Zhenxiu refers to a true cultivator, usually used for Foundation Establishment cultivators and above)

Once a cultivator enters the Foundation Establishment period, they are considered to have truly stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Therefore, Foundation Establishment cultivators are called Zhenxiu.

Golden Elixir cultivators are respectfully called “Shangren” (superior person).

And those who reach the Nascent Soul stage are revered as “Zhenren” (true person).

Ordinary independent cultivators don’t know the reasons behind this, but everyone follows the trend and calls them this way.

“He’s quite a good seedling. Looking at his physique, transforming from diamond to jade, he is probably close to Foundation Establishment! It’s a pity… .”

Before he finished speaking, just the words “close to Foundation Establishment” came out.

The atmosphere in the vicinity fell silent.

Wang Yuan, who was always calm as a pool of water, felt a chill down his spine.

He could clearly feel the piercing gaze from Mi Shuhua.

This Instructor Miao had sharp eyesight indeed!

No, or rather, his knowledge was extensive.

Ordinary people couldn’t see through the mysteries of body cultivation.

But considering his origin from the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, this level of insight is only natural.

Perhaps noticing the strange atmosphere, Instructor Miao laughed and turned to Luo Chen.

“And this one, should be your sect’s alchemy master, Dan Chenzi!”

Damn!

Don’t look at me!

Luo Chen forced a smile, “Junior Luo Chen greets Miao Zhenxiu!”

…

…

Luo Chen really didn’t want to be noticed by this Instructor Miao.

Not because of his identity as an alchemist, but because he had just broken through to Qi Refining eighth layer last night.

In order to avoid Mi Shuhua discovering the truth about his rapid cultivation speed, he deliberately used the Concealing Breath Spirit Technique to conceal his true realm.

As for whether the mastery-level Concealing Breath Spirit Technique could deceive a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Luo Chen actually had some confidence.

He had previously used the Concealing Breath Spirit Technique to deceive second-rank demonic beasts in Changyin Mountain.

Although ordinary second-rank demonic beasts were not as sharp as Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But he was facing second-rank demonic wolves at the time!

The spiritual perception and sense of smell of the demonic wolf clan were no worse than those of human Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Therefore, he dared to attend the Bright Moon Hall meeting today.

However, in front of Instructor Miao, he didn’t have that confidence.

Who knows what kind of miraculous detection methods those disciples from the major sects possess?

Especially since the other party had just seen through Wang Yuan’s cultivation progress, which made Luo Chen even more worried.

It is said that disciples of the Jade Tripod Sword Sect can enjoy Luminous Liquid after Foundation Establishment.

Long-term use will make their eyes as sharp as a sword, which can not only provide excellent insight but also be beneficial in battle.

But unexpectedly, Instructor Miao didn’t seem to see through his concealment technique?

Or perhaps, he simply didn’t care.

Qi Refining seventh layer and Qi Refining eighth layer made no difference to him!

Only Wang Yuan’s physique, who was approaching Foundation Establishment through body cultivation, would attract his attention.

Luo Chen humbly smiled: “Just call me Little Luo, Zhenxiu Miao, this junior really can’t bear the title of alchemy master.”

“No, no, no. You can’t bear it now, but maybe you can in the future!”

Instructor Miao looked at Luo Chen and praised him incessantly.

“Without saying much else, just that faint trace of pill qi on you, without any medicinal qi or fire qi mixed in, already shows a hint of the demeanor of an alchemy master.”

Luo Chen was stunned.

Can one distinguish alchemy skill by smell?

He did indeed have no medicinal qi or fire qi on his body; he had used the Cleansing Technique to remove them.

That trace of pill qi was what he had deliberately retained.

He had asked Gu Caiyi about it before, and the answer put his mind at ease.

But he never expected that this Instructor Miao not only had extraordinary eyesight but also an incredibly sensitive sense of smell.

“Remarkable young man!”

Instructor Miao sighed and turned to Mi Shuhua.

“Daoist Mi, your Broken Mountain Sect truly has a flourishing talent, and in the future, it will surely develop better and better.”

Mi Shuhua smiled, “That also depends on Daoist Miao’s continuous support!”

“Gladly, gladly. However, I’ll need you to pay more attention to the matter I have entrusted to you.”

“I will do my utmost!”

“I won’t disturb you any longer, farewell!”

Instructor Miao opened his mouth and spat out a sword pellet, which grew larger in the wind and turned into a three-foot-long sharp sword in the blink of an eye.

He leaped onto it and flew away at an extremely fast speed.

This was the standard sword-riding technique!

Luo Chen watched this scene, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.

Not even a little squeamish, huh!

He flies on it, and later he’ll probably swallow it again to nurture it in his dantian.

After Instructor Miao left, the atmosphere among the three became somewhat strange.

And the source of the strangeness came from Mi Shuhua’s gaze towards Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan initially kept his head bowed, but under that intense gaze, he slowly raised his head and met his eyes.

Luo Chen’s body stiffened.

Mi Shuhua frowned, meeting those firm, black eyes, staring intently at the other party.

A moment?

Or an eternity?

Luo Chen felt the pressure like a mountain, and time seemed to stretch indefinitely.

After a long time, he heard a sigh.

“If you need anything, feel free to come to me.”

After speaking, Mi Shuhua left the courtyard.

That’s it?

That’s all?

The imagined sword-drawing tension or the extermination of a rabbit after the hunt didn’t happen.

Leaving Luo Chen utterly confused.

Slap!

A sharp pain from a heavy slap on his shoulder made Luo Chen turn his head, and he realized that Wang Yuan’s face was pale, his shoulder supported by him, and he was gasping for breath.

Meeting Luo Chen’s questioning gaze, he forced a smile.

“The spiritual consciousness of a Foundation Establishment cultivator truly has the power of a celestial being.”

Luo Chen seemed to have thought of something and looked incredulous.

“Brother Wang, you wouldn’t have been resisting the spiritual consciousness of a Foundation Establishment cultivator with your will, would you!”

Qi Refining cultivates the spirit, body refining cultivates the will.

This was what Wang Yuan had said to Luo Chen in his spare time.

He thought the other party had exaggerated the role of will.

But the scene just now had given him a huge shock.

High-level cultivators, their spiritual thoughts can reach the heavens in an instant and explore the deepest depths of the underworld.

But ancient body refiners also had the unbreakable will of “my heart is like iron”.

What Wang Yuan had done just now was clearly resisting the spiritual consciousness of the Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on with the will he had tempered over his life.

The final result was obvious: Mi Shuhua won.

But Mi Shuhua was a genuine Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator, while Wang Yuan was only at the Qi Refining eighth layer, similar to him.

Even if his physique was close to Foundation Establishment, it was only close.

…

In the quiet room, a soundproof talisman was unfolded.

Wang Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, his pale face gradually regaining its rosy color.

Luo Chen quietly sat beside him, waiting for him to recover.

After a long time, Wang Yuan opened his eyes.

“Sure enough, Foundation Establishment cultivators are not easy to deal with. Mi Shuhua merely glanced at me, and I almost lost my composure. If I had bowed then, I’m afraid I would have been stuck before Foundation Establishment for the rest of my life.”

“Is it that serious?” Luo Chen couldn’t help but say.

Wang Yuan said seriously: “A true man can bend and stretch, and this doesn’t diminish one’s heroic nature. But in the face of true choices, one must uphold one’s original heart; otherwise, if the will is broken, the bent waist will never straighten again.”

These words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

Luo Chen felt uneasy; he was the kind of person who could bend and stretch.

But in his life, he hadn’t encountered anything that truly required him to “choose”.

If that time really came, could he, like Wang Yuan, raise his head, straighten his back, and face everything calmly?

Luo Chen didn’t know the answer.

Wang Yuan didn’t seem to want to dwell on this topic either; he directly jumped to the Blood Burning Pill.

“The test results are out.”

“Human cultivators will not lose their minds after taking it; they will only become more easily angered.”

“In addition, the other effects of the Blood Burning Pill are the same as your experiments on demonic beasts.”

Same!

In other words, the effect of catalyzing muscle and blood essence to produce a large amount of spiritual energy, thus temporarily increasing strength by 30%, still exists.

Of course, the side effects should be similar.

Luo Chen was more concerned about another point, “How long does it last?”

“Half a cup of tea!” Wang Yuan thought for a moment, his brows furrowed slightly: “But it also depends on the realm. At that time, I used a Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator for the experiment. Perhaps his physique wasn’t good enough; after he used a top-grade artifact, the time was greatly shortened.”

“Another Blood Burning Pill is still on me; I haven’t used it yet.”

How did you come to the conclusion of half a cup of tea?!

Luo Chen grimaced; without enough control groups, he couldn’t determine the exact duration.

Wang Yuan hesitated and tentatively said: “Can it be mass-produced?”

Luo Chen was curious, “A few spares should be enough, why mass-produce it?”

“I might try to use this pill to break through my realm at a critical moment.”

“Don’t!”

Luo Chen quickly reached out to stop him, “This thing is clearly a combat pill and not suitable for cultivation; don’t have any strange ideas. At worst, I’ll find a way to study the Blood Slaughter Pill formula and develop another pill for cultivation.”

Wang Yuan looked deeply at Luo Chen, his lips pursed.

After a long time, he uttered a sentence.

“Then, I’ll trouble you.”

Luo Chen shrugged, it’s not much trouble, it’s just a matter of time.

Even if a new pill is developed, the raw materials for alchemy will definitely be provided by Wang Yuan himself.

Alchemists!

That’s what they do, otherwise, how could they have such a high status and good relationships?

After some thought, Luo Chen still felt something was wrong.

He curiously asked: “Brother Wang, why do I feel like you’re in a hurry?”

As soon as he said this, Luo Chen became even more certain of his thoughts.

Yes, Wang Yuan was in a hurry!

Before, he had devoted himself to cultivation and worked hard for the Broken Mountain Sect for ten years.

But this past year, his personality has changed drastically, repeatedly attracting attention.

Whether it was making a name for himself in the Broken Mountain Sect, fighting on the debate stage, or taking charge of a hall.

These things didn’t seem to fit the Wang Yuan that Luo Chen remembered.

Of course, perhaps Wang Yuan was always like this; he just lay low when he first entered the cultivation world.

However, some later events made Luo Chen feel that something was amiss.

He rushed to get a second-rank pill formula and asked Luo Chen, who could only make All-妙 Pills at the time, to refine it.

Now, he even tried to use the Blood Burning Pill, which damages the foundation, to break through the bottleneck.

The prominent word is “hurry”.

In response to Luo Chen’s curiosity, Wang Yuan whispered: “Why wouldn’t I be in a hurry?”

“Do you know what Instructor Miao didn’t finish saying?”

Luo Chen recalled the scene at the time. In fact, there wasn’t much conversation; it was just that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators gave him a lot of pressure.

After careful recollection, he remembered the sentence.

“It’s a pity?”

“It’s a pity… that he won’t achieve longevity!”

(End of Chapter)

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter