An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 569: The Luo Tian Society's Fall Approaches, Taking the Third-Tier Dragon Transformation Pill (I)

Chapter 569: The Luo Tian Society's Fall Approaches, Taking the Third-Tier Dragon Transformation Pill (I)
Three days later, in front of Cave Residence Bing Seventeen on Tianlan Peak, a man and a woman bowed respectfully before leaving hand in hand.
They did not leave empty-handed. In Mi Li's hands was a first-tier Physique Refinement technique created from a short segment Luo Chen had extracted from the Myriad Path Convergence. It only included the sections on Meridian Unblocking and Marrow Cleansing. By itself, this technique would not even help her complete the first realm of Physique Refinement. However, with consistent and patient practice, it could gradually improve her physical condition, making her body more suited to the dantian and meridians rebuilt by the Blue Sea pill.
With this, once Mi Li's body had fully recovered, she could begin cultivating swiftly. After all, she wasn't lacking in talent—she possessed dual spirit roots of wood and fire, and an excellent constitution. Her inability to cultivate in the past had been due to congenital defects; her meridians were too thin and her dantian had fragile inner walls. With such structural flaws, even the most gifted spirit roots couldn't absorb spirit energy freely, and any attempt to break through carried great risk.
Now, those congenital defects had been healed by Luo Chen using a third-tier pill. If she continued to practice the Meridian Unblocking and Marrow Cleansing techniques, then with her dual-spirit-root constitution, she had a real chance to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Had she been alone, even with this foundation, reaching that far in cultivation would have been nothing but a pipe dream. But with Qu Lingjun backing her, offering steady support and a consistent supply of cultivation resources, that distant dream no longer seemed out of reach.
The couple departed together, and Luo Chen's days once again settled into peace. He had already discussed the details of the Sky Roc Transformation thoroughly with Wang Yuan, and for now,  there was no further progress to be made. Further breakthroughs would take time. Hence, all that remained was for him to continue practicing and refining the corresponding combat techniques to greater proficiency.
Wang Yuan came by less frequently now, and Chu Kui had been in constant seclusion, attempting to reach Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment. With both of them preoccupied, Luo Chen found himself living a rather secluded life. He rarely stepped outside his cave residence. Aside from the occasional… encounter with Sima Huiniang or Gu Caiyi, he was focused entirely on cultivation, striving to advance into the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
***
Inside the meditation chamber, Luo Chen sat cross-legged with his eyes shut, in deep concentration, as he used his core cultivation technique. Spirit energy flowed into him without pause, refined and circulated through his body. At the same time, he was digesting a top-grade Ascending Dragon pill. Once the pill was fully digested, he immediately took another.
After a while, Luo Chen slowly emerged from his meditative state. Sensing the progress he had made, he nodded with quiet satisfaction. "All that nutritional support is finally paying off. My body is back to normal. Thanks to my third-tier Archaic physique, I can now steadily digest three top-grade pills a day, and that means double the cultivation speed. I thought that it would take six or seven years to reach the seventh stage… but it looks like I will be able to do it in just three or four."
As Luo Chen gauged his cultivation progress, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes. Once he advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, he would finally be a proper grand cultivator! The dreams he once joked about during the Qi Refinement Realm were finally becoming reality!
What he looked forward to even more was the opportunity to fully begin the preparation for the Golden Core Realm. He had no intention of following in the footsteps of cultivators like Xuan Yu or Chu Kui, who waited until the ninth stage or even Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment before scrambling to gather the necessary resources. If preparations were made early, the path ahead would be far smoother. With everything properly arranged ahead of time, he could devote himself entirely to cultivation, focusing solely on reaching the Golden Core Realm. At the very least, it would help him avoid countless complications along the way.
Meanwhile, as Luo Chen was in seclusion, the Jade Cauldron Domain was wracked with unpredictable storms of change.
The major matter was the dispute over the Divine Transformation pocket world. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect and the Falling Cloud Sect had reached a private agreement to jointly develop the site, forbidding any other sects from entering. Naturally, this decision provoked considerable dissatisfaction. Under pressure from the five major Golden Core sects, led by the Flame Alliance and Green Pill Valley, the two dominant sects made a slight concession, allowing them to send cultivators in once every hundred years. Even so, the issue stirred major unrest and dragged on for quite some time.
It wasn't just the sects that got involved; several powerful cultivators from outside the domain also took an interest. Conflicts and bloodshed broke out frequently. The Thousand Li of Yellow Sands had once quieted down when the two major sects shifted their focus to the Divine Transformation pocket world, but in the years that followed, it had once more turned chaotic.
Worse still, the tension between the two major sects showed no signs of stopping. The internal conflict within the Jade Cauldron Domain still had no official ceasefire. No one could figure out what the two major sects were planning.
These, however, were external matters.
What truly concerned Luo Chen most was the situation of the Luo Tian Society. In just a year or two, the newly reorganized Iron Sword Hall had expanded at an astonishing pace. Although they had lost Zuo Song, they had begun aggressively recruiting Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators from both within and beyond the domain. As a result, Iron Sword Hall now boasted three late-stage Initiates under its banner.
This kind of rapid expansion inevitably extended into the problem of resource acquisition. Due to the war, many cultivators in Tianlan Immortal City had perished, leaving numerous business markets vacant.  Logically, Iron Sword Hall should have focused on occupying those empty markets. However, instead of that, they targeted the markets that were already controlled by the Luo Tian Society. Their hostile intentions were no longer subtle. Everyone could see what they were doing.
It wasn't just Iron Sword Hall. The Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge also made moves in the pill market, openly competing with the Luo Tian Society. Outside Tianlan Immortal City, the Xiahou family of Silver Gorge, a vassal of the Flame Alliance, redirected its efforts to strike at the Luo Tian Society's allies, the Luo family. Unwittingly, the Luo Tian Society had become surrounded, just as Sima Huiniang had once feared.
Under such circumstances, even former allies began to keep their distance. The Wei family of Mount Xuchen, the Yuhua Sect, the Chang family of Changliu Gorge… One by one, they all distanced themselves from the Luo Tian Society. Such was the way of the world: When the Luo Tian Society was basking in glory, everyone drew near; the moment there was a slight sign of decline, all fled like they were venomous.
Luo Chen knew exactly why things had turned out this way. The subtle pressure from the Flame Alliance was one factor, but his long absence from the public eye also played a role. Because of his reclusion, the Jade Dew Pill's collaboration with the Ice Fortress had been terminated. As a result, the Ice Fortress's protection over the Luo Tian Society had naturally weakened.
Fairy Ruthless had made a brief return to Tianlan Immortal City, but then she had hurried back to the Ice Fortress and had not been seen since. The Golden Core cultivator stationed at Tianlan Immortal City was just that mysterious descendant of the Haoran Sect who resided on Tianlan Peak. As for the city's daily affairs, they were all handled by a late-stage Initiate named Yin Xiuhua. It was said she was a relative of Adept Moonshade and represented not only Moonshade herself but also the lineage of the Ice Fortress's sect leader. Luo Chen did not have a particularly good relationship with Moonshade, so naturally, Yin Xiuhua had little reason to offer any protection to the Luo Tian Society.
With external threats closing in and no major sect offering support, the Luo Tian Society found itself in something of a predicament.
Even so, Luo Chen remained indifferent and continued cultivating in peace. Because he knew far too well that strength was the key to breaking through this situation! Even if he revealed himself now, at most, he would regain the Ice Fortress's backing, but that would never be enough to erase the Flame Alliance's grudge. The worst thing was that his appearance might only provoke the Flame Alliance to intensify their actions targeting them. And if that was the case, then it was better to keep strengthening both himself and the Luo Tian Society. When the time came, he could deliver a strike decisively and bring it all to an end.
***
Spring passed and autumn came. Before anyone knew it, another two years had slipped by.
This year, Luo Chen turned fifty-two! His cultivation remained stuck at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment, just a short step away from breaking through. Yet, he could no longer remain in seclusion.
This year would be especially precarious. The rotation term for Tianlan Immortal City's overseeing sect was approaching once again.
Inside the cave residence, Sima Huiniang sighed, "Another decade has passed already!"
Luo Chen couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. The previous decade still felt like yesterday. Back then, he had made a name for himself at the Qinhua River, earning the Dao title of Fire Spirit Lord. Even though the Dao title was only known in a limited circle within Tianlan Immortal City, it marked a period of achievement for him. Now, ten years had flown by, and the situation facing Luo Tian Society had not eased; instead, it had only grown worse.
Luo Chen asked, "What's the stance of the enemies now?"
Sima Huiniang responded gravely, "I've sent people to negotiate. The Flame Alliance's vassals, led by Iron Sword Hall, show no intention of compromise. I've even heard rumors spreading that our Luo Tian Society is on the brink of collapse."
Rumors naturally spreading by themselves? As if.
Luo Chen scoffed. That was clearly a deliberate move by Iron Sword Hall to sow doubt and panic within Luo Tian Society.
In fact, the Luo Tian Society had been thriving in recent years! Not only had they leased the four spirit lands around Danxia Peak, but Foundation Establishment Initiates had also begun to emerge one after another. Now, the number of Initiates had grown to fifteen!
Among the list of cultivators that Sima Huiniang had chosen for Foundation Establishment two years back, half had succeeded. Zhou Yuanli, Gui Jiang, and Xu Xiaoliu had all broken through, and even Bian Zhen had succeeded in his second attempt by a stroke of luck.
However, even amid such prosperity, the number of low-tier cultivators in the Luo Tian Society had stagnated at three thousand. Despite the Luo Tian Society's generous benefits and clear path to advancement, most rogue cultivators had grown hesitant and afraid to join. Only a few daring individuals were willing to take the risk in pursuit of Foundation Establishment. There was no denying that the hostile environment had severely impacted Luo Tian Society's development.
Luo Chen drew in a long breath and asked, "Well, even if it's a rumor, it may hold some truth. If they're spreading such things, there must be a reason behind it. Have you looked into it?"
Sima Huiniang replied, "I don't have specifics yet, but after consolidating Su Xiaolin's s, I have a suspicion."
"Let's hear it."
Sima Huiniang brushed back her hair, and her lips tightened into a grimace. "I believe the Flame Alliance is trying to interfere with the rotation of the city's management!"
Luo Chen's eyelid twitched. "Shouldn't it be Ailao Mountain's turn?"
Luo Chen had looked through the rotation order in the past. After the Ice Fortress came Green Pill Valley, followed by Ailao Mountain. The Flame Alliance wasn't supposed to have its turn until after that. However, due to the internal conflict among the upper sects, the Falling Cloud Sect had mediated and redistributed benefits, assigning Green Pill Valley's share of city profits to the Ice Fortress.
From a long-term strategic standpoint, the Ice Fortress should have held its place for the next decade. And even if that wasn't possible, Ailao Mountain should have been next in line to oversee Tianlan Immortal City. So why was the Flame Alliance barging in?
Sima Huiniang had no answer to that question. Hence, Luo Chen could only ponder it himself. After a while, he began to piece things together. "Could it be that the two major sects are planning to revise the rotation schedule for the city? So the Flame Alliance, as the Sword Sect's proxy, is stepping in to forcibly negotiate control of the next decade… or maybe even century?"
It was a somewhat reasonable guess, but ultimately too speculative and riddled with uncertainties. At the heart of it was still the interest of the Luo Tian Society.
Sima Huiniang hesitated and said, "If the Flame Alliance seeks control of the city's rotation, they'll surely send a Golden Core cultivator to the negotiation. And if that happens… Well, with a Golden Core overseeing matters, our enemies will no longer need to worry about the Ice Fortress's protection of the Luo Tian Society. They can make up any number of excuses to move against us."
That was her theory, and it made a lot of sense!
Luo Chen furrowed his brow, considering the possible outcomes. He was uncertain of what choice to make. Having a Golden Core cultivator leading the charge was a completely different matter from not having one. It completely disrupted the calm, calculated rhythm he had maintained up until now.
Just as Luo Chen was deep in thought, Sima Huiniang casually mentioned something. "Dao Scion Tao's batch of top-grade Ascending Dragon pills has arrived today."
"
Mhm
, just hand them over," Luo Chen replied casually.
Truth be told, he was running low on pills. His digestion had become so efficient that the amount of pills he had once considered sufficient now fell far short of his needs. Worse still, he was starting to feel that Ascending Dragon pills were becoming less effective on him. As a result, he had begun consuming large quantities of qi-consolidation pills and other second-tier low-grade pills. If quality fell short, he'd make up for it with quantity!
Suddenly, Luo Chen raised his head and looked at Sima Huiniang.
She gave a slight nod. "This time, the one delivering the pills was Tao Wan herself!"
Luo Chen blurted in surprise, "She came to Tianlan Immortal City?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he caught on to what she was really implying.
"Where is Tao Wan now?"
Sima Huiniang replied, "She's at the Green Pill Valley's storefront, claiming to be inspecting business operations across the city. But I believe her true intention is to contend for the sect rotation rights."
Luo Chen's gaze sharpened as he silently made a decision.