An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 528: The Hunt and the Pursuit; Who Is Prey, and Who Is Hunter? (I)

Chapter 528: The Hunt and the Pursuit; Who Is Prey, and Who Is Hunter? (I)
Whether the Four-Sect Alliance had truly lost its mind, Luo Chen could not say for certain. What he did know was that every vassal under their command and even the rogue Initiates scattered throughout the region had gone completely mad.
Each of the Four-Sect Alliance had released a Core Formation secret art, one apiece. The move was bold, extravagant, and utterly unprecedented. For countless cultivators stuck at the late stage of Foundation Establishment with no clear path forward, it was as though the heavens had opened a door. Even those still in the early or middle stages, who didn't yet urgently need it, could not resist the urge to prepare ahead of time.
Luo Chen stared at the massive stele in front of him. Four glowing lines listed each of the secret arts, along with the merit points required to exchange for them. At the top stood the Falling Cloud Sect's Upper Path Core Formation art, Beaded Curtain Lock, priced at a staggering ten thousand merit points. The other three were Lower Path arts, each requiring only two thousand points. Among them was the Ice Fortress's Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation.
Luo Chen already had that one, and he had long acquired the two third-tier pills it required. If they were in the same category, the other two likely weren't much better. Still, for Foundation Establishment cultivators who weren't core disciples of a major sect, even a Lower Path for Core Formation was extremely rare.
Now, the Four-Sect Alliance had thrown open the gates of heaven. The path to Core Formation lay in plain sight. Who would not be tempted? Even Luo Chen, who already possessed one, had his eyes locked onto Beaded Curtain Lock.
"President, should we…" Duan Feng's voice came from beside him.
The question pulled Luo Chen from his thoughts. He turned to see Duan Feng's eyes glimmering with desire. Nearby, Xu Haizhen's breathing had grown uneven, and his eyes were locked onto the stele. The higher one's cultivation, the deeper their hunger for Core Formation secret arts!
And they weren't the only ones. All around the stele, waves of murmurs rolled through the crowd. Thousands of rogue cultivators whispered among themselves, many already eager to rush back to the Jilei Nine Mountains to earn merit.
So that was why this rotation brought so many new arrivals. They must have heard about the announcement and come running,
thought Luo Chen.
He spotted a few late-stage Initiates breaking away from the crowd, their faces grim as they exchanged quiet words. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to remain calm.
The greater the reward, the greater the risk. There was no way this would be easy.
With these four rewards revealed, every vassal and rogue cultivator under the Four-Sect Alliance was bound to go mad with ambition. And if things were heating up on their side, the Sword Sect surely wouldn't sit idly by.
In other words… things were on fire.
Seeing the excitement in the other two, Luo Chen grumbled quietly, "Back to camp. Get some rest."
Xu Haizhen and Duan Feng exchanged looks but dared not argue.
Back at the Luo Tian Society encampment, the news had already spread like wildfire. Even the Qi Refinement cultivators were chattering excitedly about the revelation. Luo Chen had Xu Haizhen and Duan Feng visit his quarters, and when he addressed them, his tone was firm and measured. "Don't let these Core Formation secret arts cloud your judgment!"
Xu Haizhen swallowed and said, "But… there's an Upper Path technique in there!"
"Ah, you've noticed that? Then why haven't you looked at how many points it costs?"
The words hit their mark. Xu Haizhen froze, the fire in his eyes dimming. He opened his mouth to speak, but only sighed instead. That was the truth; the amount of merit points was simply too high.
The rules set by the Four-Sect Alliance for earning merit were brutally simple. Ordinary tasks such as guarding outposts, patrolling, or reconnaissance offered paltry rewards barely worth mentioning. Only one path led to real merit: killing the enemy. Ten merit points were awarded for every Qi Refinement cultivator slain; one hundred points for an early-stage Initiate; two hundred for a mid-stage Initiate; and five hundred for a late-stage one.
In other words, to obtain a Lower Path technique, one had to kill two hundred Qi Refinement cultivators, twenty early-stage Initiates, ten mid-stage Initiates, or four late-stage Initiates. It was simply too difficult! And that was just for the Lower Path techniques!
If one aimed to exchange for the Falling Cloud Sect's Beaded Curtain Lock, they'd have to multiply those requirements by five. No cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm could meet such a demand. To claim that reward, one would have to slaughter a hundred early-stage Initiates or twenty late-stage ones. Achieving that would take nothing short of a Golden Core Adept.
Therein was the catch: If someone had already reached the Golden Core Realm, why would they still care about a Core Formation secret art? On top of that, the exchange rules made it crystal clear—only cultivators below the Golden Core Realm, and only those outside the Four-Sect Alliance, were eligible to participate. That single clause had shut the door on first-rate forces deploying their Golden Core cultivators to exploit the war for a secret art.
As for ordinary vassal forces acquiring one… The Luo Tian Society had spent two full years on the frontlines and barely scraped together seven hundred merit points. And even that modest sum was largely thanks to Min Longyu's formation, which had killed five early-stage Initiate enemies in one stroke. Of course, much of that had already been spent on Foundation Establishment Pills, leaving only a hundred. This made the likelihood of acquiring such staggering amounts of merit points abundantly clear.
Luo Chen glanced at the two beside him. They were both visibly deflated. He could only shake his head. "You think I'm not tempted? Of course I am. But a person must know their limits and act within them. Didn't you see the faces of those late-stage Initiates around the stele? Even they looked grim."
He looked between the two of them. "You are only at the third and sixth stages of Foundation Establishment. It will take you a century before you reach the threshold of forming your core. What is there to rush for?"
With his words, Xu Haizhen and Duan Feng finally came back to their senses. The lure of higher cultivation had indeed made them lose composure. Perhaps only such resources could make so many Initiates abandon their usual calmness.
To lift their spirits a little, Luo Chen revealed that he had been made the guest elder of Ice Fortress. In the midst of their surprise, he spoke frankly. "Once the war ends, with my status as a guest elder of a major sect, obtaining Core Formation secret arts will not be impossible. What matters for now is that you both focus and advance in your cultivation."
With that reassurance, the two of them finally let go of any foolish thoughts.
After sending them off, Luo Chen couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief. Just as he had said, he too had been tempted. Who wouldn't be? But there were moments in life when one had to remain grounded, when one had to truly understand one's limits and act accordingly.
He had carefully assessed his strength. He knew very well that killing an early-stage Initiate posed no challenge, and even mid-stage Initiates could barely endure a few clashes against him. Even faced with a late-stage Initiate, he was confident in defeating them in a direct duel. At the very least, he could guarantee his own survival.
But for him to go on a battlefield and slaughter a dozen or twenty late-stage Initiates? That was pure fantasy. Even if Luo Chen targeted early- or mid-stage Initiates to accumulate merit, it would only be a matter of time before he drew the attention of someone stronger and became the hunted instead of the hunter.
After all, merit points weren't awarded solely based on the cultivation. Some cultivators listed by the sects, especially those skilled in lightning techniques, were considered grand cultivators despite only being at the middle stage. Luo Chen had no intention of becoming the next Most Wanted.
"The Four-Sect Alliance offering out rewards like this is practically pushing their vassals and rogue cultivators to die for them. It seems like the Falling Cloud Sect is determined to win this war at all costs. Otherwise, they wouldn't have convinced the other three sects to put up Core Formation secret arts, even if they are just Lower Path ones that major sects don't value."
With this new incentive, the situation had changed completely. The casualties among Initiates, which had been somewhat manageable, were now bound to spiral into blood feuds with no return. For late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, the danger was even greater; they were about to become the easiest prey for desperate Initiates eager to amass merit.
After all, ten thousand merit points could be earned from a thousand Qi Refinement cultivator lives. If a late-stage Initiate was willing to cast aside their pride and harvest lives without mercy, they could reach that number eventually. It was horrifying but entirely possible.
Fortunately, Luo Chen now held the status of guest elder of Ice Fortress. That position came with a degree of protection. Under his command, the Luo Tian Society would likely remain free from front-line deployment. In six months, they'd be able to withdraw entirely. Otherwise, with just a hundred members, the Luo Tian Society couldn't afford to be dragged into the fray.
After a round of contemplation, Luo Chen felt he had a clear picture of the risks and rewards. Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
From this point on, everyone's attention will be fixed on the front lines… Isn't this the perfect time to slip away and search for Wang Yuan on the ninth mountain?
He took out a sound-transmission jade token and fell into thought. Before Wang Yuan left, Luo Chen had given him a jade token capable of transmitting messages within a thousand-li radius. The ninth mountain wasn't very large. As long as he spent some time and remained cautious, he should be able to make contact.