Immortality begin with Alchemy Grandmaster Chapter 1: Rogue Cultivator Luo Chen_1

Rumble, rumble, rumble.....

Thunderous booms echoed across the heavens, with the overwhelming force of nature forcing the lively Great River District into a hushed stillness.

The typical sight of sword lights darting through the air was unusually rare right now.

After all, nobody dared to guarantee they wouldn't accidentally get hit by a bolt while soaring above.

Would that count as facing the heavenly tribulation prematurely?

Spanning a huge area, the Great River District featured an Inner City shielded by a third-grade formation array, strong enough to endure strikes from third-order demonic beasts.

Should a third-order demonic beast launch a surprise assault, it would generally hold out for some time, giving the residents inside a chance to respond.

Naturally, maintaining such an enormous formation every day demanded enormous expenses, so it solely guarded the Inner City.

In contrast, the surrounding zones, the main gathering spot for independent cultivators, offered far less security.

Countless wooden and stone dwellings dotted the landscape in all four cardinal directions.

Beside a stream in the southwestern edge, a modest wooden abode with one bedroom, a hall, and a kitchen stood in serene isolation. The closest independent cultivator's home was almost two miles distant.

Though the outside remained peaceful, the kitchen within buzzed with activity.

"One pound of yam, cut into slices, two ounces of white poria, three ounces of one-year-old ginseng..."

"One pound of first-order demonic beast's beef, grind the meat, ensure no bone fragments remain."

"Proceed, include the scallion, rice, fennel..."

A bare-chested youth chanted the recipe in a steady rhythm, focusing intently on the cooking vessel, now and then grabbing ingredients from the adjacent wooden shelf and tossing them in.

The ladle he gripped swirled energetically.

As he added a big pot of milky bone broth, Luo Chen let out a breath of relief.

He fiddled with the firewood in the stove, removing a couple of pieces from time to time, then settled in to await the final result!

After an hour, the youth removed the pot's cover, eyed the thick goo inside, and couldn't help drawing in a deep inhalation.

"Observe this hue—it's glossy, luminous, and of superior quality!"

"Inhale the scent—it's rich yet not overpowering, superior quality!"

Luo Chen extended his hand, scooped a small bit, and slipped it past his lips.

A single savor!

"The deep essence is abundant, bolstered by the angelica and ginseng, allowing the spiritual vitality from five pounds of first-order demonic beast's beef to spread uniformly throughout this Fasting Pill."

"Outstanding, the flavor is now flawless, superior quality!"

He licked his digit, and Luo Chen displayed a pleased grin.

Based on his recent endeavors, this batch of Fasting Pills ought to yield at least five vials of Fasting Elixir.

It might seem absurd, yet Luo Chen was genuinely concocting pills!

Moreover, he was crafting the Fasting Elixir, the staple consumable for cultivators, though this was a basic variant, dubbed at best Fasting Pills.

Without letting it cool, he emptied it onto the chopping surface.

Luo Chen grasped a faded bamboo strip, spread the viscous mixture over it, drizzled a few drops of Hundred Flowers Honey, and began rolling it up.

As the bamboo strip twisted, the warm Fasting Pill slowly shaped into a tube. Thanks to the Hundred Flowers Honey, its shade shifted to a faint yellow.

With his nimble fingers, he molded multiple tube-like pastes into spherical pills, each roughly thumb-sized.

One, two, three...

By the time Luo Chen paused, fifty pristine Fasting Elixirs lined up orderly on the board.

Before he could celebrate his success, Luo Chen's focus shifted abruptly to the unseen interface hovering before him.

[Name: Luo Chen]

[Lifespan: 27/75]

[Spirit Roots: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Third Level Qi Refinement Stage: 75/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Technique Mastery: 235/300]

[Techniques: Cleaning Technique Beginner Level 49/100, Entanglement Technique Proficiency Level 176/200, Fireball Technique Mastery Level 268/300]

[Skills: First Order Pill Refiner: Fasting Pill Grandmaster 501/1000]

[Achievement Points: 10 points (can be used for corresponding realm's cultivation techniques, techniques, and entry to skill)]

"These ten achievement points mean I can finally acquire the Allure Pill Technique!"

Staring at his Proficiency Panel, Luo Chen felt a surge of excitement.

A full year has passed since my arrival here!

In his former existence, he was just a desk-bound employee, toiling endlessly, his scant free moments devoted to progression fantasy games on his phone.

Short on funds, he depended on persistent grinding in those games, steadily advancing his cultivation progress bars whenever he had a spare minute.

Little did he expect that during one sleepless night of gaming and leveling, he abruptly crossed over to a new realm.

The body's prior inhabitant shared the name Luo Chen, and their ages matched closely.

As a young lad, the original had delved into remote mountains, stumbled upon a rare fortune—the relics of a cultivator—and thus embarked on a decade-long path of immortal cultivation.

Following a map from those relics, he reached the Great River District, hoping to enlist in a local sect as an apprentice.

Yet a decade prior, at seventeen, he exceeded the sects' sixteen-year-old limit by one.

Furthermore, his evenly balanced five-element spirit roots resembled those of a spiritless mortal, rendering him undesirable to any sect.

Logically, he ought to have returned home.

But the original's resolve to chase the Dao burned fiercely. Armed with a potion from his lucky find, a Longevity Technique scroll, and a handful of spirit stones, he chose to root himself in the Great River District.

Initially, tight on money, he couldn't afford lodging near the Inner City. Thus, he leased a spot by the farthest stream.

Surviving in the district proved no easy task.

Even the remotest dwellings demanded half a spirit stone monthly in rent.

Though he constructed the house himself, the fee remained half a spirit stone each month.

Once his spirit stones dwindled to nothing, the original didn't idle.

He assisted at vendors' booths or teamed up for mountain hunts, scraping by through tough times.

Eventually, deeming this unsustainable, he turned to examining the two pill recipes from the cultivator's relics.

The Allure Pill posed challenges, so he began with the simplest Fasting Pill.

One might say those blessed with fortunes also receive some luck.

Following early setbacks, he managed to produce the Fasting Pill.

Though merely average in caliber, it sold to wandering cultivators who ventured on long mountain expeditions.

In this way, the original scarcely established himself in the Great River District.

Yet fate twists unpredictably, and disaster lurks ever near.

As the original deemed the Fasting Pill insufficient for his cultivation needs, he eyed a partial recipe he'd gathered.

Then, during his initial try at refining it, the cauldron burst!

The fierce blast demolished his wooden dwelling.

It was then that Luo Chen arrived, seizing control of the body.

Recalling the dire straits he met upon crossing over, Luo Chen felt a pang of sorrow without tears.

At that time, torrential rain poured, and amid the wreckage, he lay with a bloodied visage, gazing dazed and forlorn at this unfamiliar world.

Luckily, those hardships have ended.

"Over this year, my Fasting Pill skill has advanced from perfection to grandmaster, just sufficient to cover my everyday needs."

"The greatest reward is accumulating ten achievement points, enough to access the Allure Pill!"

At present, Luo Chen possessed three pill recipes in total.

A first-order recipe for the Fasting Pill, a first-order one for the Allure Pill, and a broken second-order recipe that the original had luckily acquired.

Titled Jade Dew Pill, successful crafting would yield a second-order Jade Dew Pill, immensely beneficial for water-attribute cultivation practitioners.

A standard bottle fetched an astonishing medium-grade spirit stone!

Given the vast earnings, it's unsurprising the original fixated on it.

Perhaps buoyed by his prior fortune, or emboldened by the Fasting Pill's ease, or driven by sheer destitution.

Regardless, he boldly attempted it.

The outcome: cauldron shattered, home ruined, life ended.

Now, Luo Chen faces this pivotal choice.

Sticking to only Fasting Pills allows mere survival, far short of cultivation demands.

To secure cultivation resources, he required an additional income stream beyond the Fasting Pill.

His aim wasn't the Jade Dew Pill anyway, and ten points fell short for initiating second-order pill crafting.

Thus, upon uncovering the Achievement Points' utility via the Proficiency Panel, he had resolved firmly.

"I will craft the Allure Pill!"

"I have no choice but to!"

"Even if it brings unwanted attention!"