An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 631: The Great Snowy Mountains (I)

Inside the meditation chamber of the flying boat, where the air was warm like early spring, Luo Chen received a batch of materials after another from He Lianyun. Every ingredient had been provided in ample quantity, enough for more than ten refinements, and most were of exceptional quality. It was clear that He Lianyun and the others had not cut corners in their preparations for refining the Nether Origin Pill.

Even so, Luo Chen still found several flaws. "Why aren't the Garnet Dates peeled?"

"Uh... wouldn't peeling them cause the medicinal properties to weaken?" He Lianyun replied, looking uncertain.

"Who told you that? This herb's properties are extremely fierce. If it isn't peeled to release part of its potency beforehand, it can't be used for pill refinement at all."

"Ah... then what should we do?"

"No rush. Give me a few days, and I'll let the excess potency dissipate naturally until it's workable."

He picked up another pouch and frowned. "Hmm? This Coldstar Grass—"

"What now?" He Lianyun asked quickly, already dreading the answer.

Luo Chen sighed. "Are the alchemists of your Lianyun Trade Alliance really at this level? They can't even handle Coldstar Grass properly. Forget it. Just leave everything here. I'll reprocess each ingredient myself."

He Lianyun handed over the storage pouch filled with materials and left the room, looking utterly dejected. When he stepped out onto the deck, Fu Jiusheng glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He Lianyun grumbled in frustration. "Luo Chen wasn't satisfied with the materials I prepared. He said several were processed incorrectly. But I swear I followed the most standard procedures available! I think he's just nitpicking on purpose."

"Oh, that so?" Fu Jiusheng replied offhandedly, as though the matter were nothing unusual.

He Lianyun blinked in confusion at his indifferent tone. "What, you're saying he's not doing it on purpose?"

Fu Jiusheng gave a small laugh. "You're not to blame, and Luo Chen might not be, either. I've met plenty of skilled sect alchemists. Even when they refine the same pill using the same ingredients, every one of them has different methods and standards for processing."

That explanation only deepened He Lianyun's confusion. "For the same pill, shouldn't the proportions and processing methods be the same?"

"No, no..." Fu Jiusheng shook his head. "That depends on the alchemist's mastery and style. A truly skilled one can weaken ingredients with excessive potency through several methods. If an ingredient is too weak, they can compensate by using auxiliary methods. But if their mastery of a certain pill method is lacking, they'll abandon ingredients that demand too much precision and replace them with ones easier to handle."

As his explanation grew more complicated, He Lianyun began to feel dizzy. He quickly waved his hands. "Alright, alright! You're saying it all depends on the alchemist's own mastery and habits, right?"

Fu Jiusheng chuckled and nodded.

He Lianyun let out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll just assume Luo Chen wasn't doing it on purpose."

Yet beneath Fu Jiusheng's easy smile, a hint of doubt flickered. There's no way Luo Chen personally refined the Nether Origin Pill before, and he never had the main ingredients. So how does he know exactly what state each ingredient should be in?

He Lianyun, unaware of his companion's thoughts, watched the scenery slip backward outside the flying boat like drifting clouds, and his expression grew solemn. "Fellow Daoist Fu, it's about time you tell us our true destination, don't you think?"

***

Inside the flying boat, Luo Chen reprocessed the materials according to his own methods, then stored them away. Yes, it was only simple processing. In truth, He Lianyun's preparations had actually been quite thorough, and with Luo Chen's solid foundation in alchemy, these ingredients could have been used directly in pill refinement. His earlier criticism had merely served as an excuse to keep some of the excess materials for himself.

For six years, Luo Chen had never stopped researching the Nether Origin Pill formula. But in the end, there was no real result. After all, it was a Core Formation pill formula originating from a Holy Land and further refined by a Divine Transformation Ascendant. With his current skill, he could not do anything to improve it.

Yet rather than wasting time with that, he sought another path—simplification. He did not seek to make it better, only to make it simpler. Even a simplified version would remain a third-tier alchemical formula, and one related to Core Formation. If he could create a simplified new formula, even if its effect was weaker than the Nether Origin Pill or the Nether Sea Pill, it would still be an enormous achievement. He could then refine it himself, use it personally, supply it to the Luo Tian Society, and perhaps use it as a means to build ties with other sects.

Of course, the latter option was incredibly risky. Luo Chen's main goal was to create a pill suitable for himself and the cultivators of the Luo Tian Society. If he succeeded, the Luo Tian Society would no longer have its path to Core Formation controlled by the major sects. For that reason, he needed to obtain as many ingredients for the original formula as possible.

Even if his current cultivation wasn't high enough to simplify the Nether Origin Pill yet, perhaps, when he advanced further, he could complete the task. Cultivation had never been about the present; it was about foresight.

After storing away all the other ingredients, only a single Sapphire Lightning Flower remained before him. Its crystal-clear petals shimmered faintly, threads of azure lightning flickering across their surface from time to time.

"Bai Ye and lightning..." Luo Chen murmured. "Everything in his pocket world was connected to the path of lightning. Could it be that once cultivators reach the Divine Transformation Realm, they specialize so deeply in a single element that even their daily lives and possessions reflect that path?"

With great care, Luo Chen put the Sapphire Lightning Flower away. With this, he now possessed two of the three primary ingredients required for refining the Nether Origin Pill: the Heavenly Mountain Revitalization Liquid and the Sapphire Lightning Flower. Only the Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit remained.

Luo Chen's gaze darkened as he looked toward the cabin wall. It was as if his deep eyes could pierce through the cabin walls, staring into the distant Great Snowy Mountains.

Fu Jiusheng is far too cautious. When I used Water Mirror and Pill Fragrance of Recognition to track him, his path clearly led toward the far east. But the Nine-Pattern Snakespit Fruit is located near the border, within the Great Snowy Mountains.

The other three are hiding things as well. Hermit Xiao appears to still be at the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment, but his spirit power is far too stable. He's most likely already reached Perfected Mastery. He Lianyun hasn't changed much, but after leading the Lianyun Trade Alliance for so many years, he must have countless trump cards in hand. He cannot be taken lightly. Lady Yousha seems the weakest, yet something about her always feels... hidden."

Ever since he had decided to work with the four of them, the Luo Tian Society had not stopped gathering intelligence on them. To know oneself and know the enemy is the key to victory. Even though Luo Chen had faced enemies stronger than they were and seen greater spectacles, he still needed to be cautious when traveling alone.