An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 137: A True Man Born Between Heaven and Earth Should Not Long Remain Subdued (II))

"By the way," he added, "I've found some leads on Shan Xiu, the one who ambushed you. I'll make sure you get an explanation when the time comes."

Before leaving, Mi Shuhua delivered this good news to Luo Chen.

If an enemy who had once openly tried to kill him remained in hiding, Luo Chen would always feel a sense of unease. Unless a rogue cultivator completely disappeared into the depths of the mountains, they were bound to show themselves eventually.

This was especially true for low-tier cultivators. They couldn't survive in deep forests or vast swamps filled with high-tier demonic beasts. The major sects wouldn't take them in, not even as subordinates.

As for retreating to the mortal world to live decadently? That was even less likely.

In fact, after spending time in the marketplaces and seeing elderly, waning cultivators still struggling bitterly instead of returning to the mortal world to enjoy life, Luo Chen had wondered about this before.

Later, Wang Yuan himself had explained it to him.

"Cultivators cannot linger in the mortal world for long. This is both an ironclad rule and an unspoken law."

As for the real reason behind it, Wang Yuan hadn't elaborated. He only insisted that cultivators simply couldn't stay among mortal world for long.

Thus, it was no surprise that Shan Xiu had appeared after more than a month. If anything, he had stayed hidden longer than Luo Chen had expected.

If Mi Shuhua could bring back that guy's head to him, it would be perfect. But even if it didn't happen now, just knowing the target was active in Snow Lotus Market gave Luo Chen some peace of mind.

With Mi Shuhua gone, the day's work was drawing to a close. All that remained were minor tasks like replenishing medicinal materials and cleaning the alchemy furnace.

Luo Chen didn't need to worry about any of that as Gu Caiyi would handle them.

After a brief exchange, Luo Chen returned to the inner city under the escort of his bodyguards. Since it was still early, he made a short detour to Whitestone Plaza.

Yuan Xiaoyue greeted him and arranged to meet later at the SiHeYuan to settle last month's accounts.

As for the milk tea shop, Luo Chen was quite surprised.

"Duan Feng, what are you doing here?"

Cough, cough.

Duan Feng coughed lightly. After more than a month of recuperation, his injuries were mostly healed. However, due to the lingering freezing energy and the damage to his internal organs, his lungs were left with some residual issues.Every now and then, he would let out a soft cough.

"I feel much better now," Duan Feng said. "So I came out for a walk and to help Sister Xia with some errands."

"That's great, but I'm not paying you any spirit stones for your services."

Duan Feng tugged at the corner of his mouth, clearly unconcerned with such matters.

Feng Xia stepped out from a side door and said, "There's still a bit to wrap up; it'll take a while."

"No worries, you two go ahead. I'll wander around a bit."

Feeling bored, Luo Chen strolled across from Whitestone Plaza.

The area surrounding the jade plaque was already lined with tall buildings. Registration points, gambling halls, and taverns had sprung up one after another. Shops catering to the Fallen Phoenix Mountain Debate Platform were beginning to take shape.

He looked up at the jade plaque, which displayed not only the matchups for the next day but also a separate ranking list.

At the top was the Foundation Establishment ranking list.

However, there were only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivator names on the list, but the only name that Luo Chen recognized was Nangong Jin.

He had first come across the name while researching milk sources, discovering that the Nangong family raised a herd of Fu Zhu Deer. That small detail had led him to look deeper into the family's background.

"Ranked third? Who did he lose to?"

Shaking his head, Luo Chen eagerly moved on to the Qi-Refining ranking list.

Coincidentally, the top ranker also had the surname Nangong.

Nangong Qin, at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining!

With Spirit Eyes activated, a record of Nangong Qin's past battles appeared next to his name on the ranking. According to the battle records, he had victories against some, defeats against others, and even Duan Feng's name appeared among his recorded matches.

Duan Feng had fought Nangong Qin twice, each winning once.

It wasn't until his eyes reached the ninth rank that he finally saw Duan Feng's name. Just last month, he had fought tooth and nail to squeeze into the top three. Now, after only a month of recovery, he had already fallen to ninth.

Tsk tsk, the ranking competition on the Debate Platform is fierce! I wonder what rank I'd achieve if I participated.

Recently, Luo Chen had become exceedingly familiar with the enchanted artifacts at his disposal.

For offense, he wielded the Flame Spear, Soul-Breaking Nail, and Jade Blade. For defense, he relied on the Four Symbols Cauldron and a high-grade enchanted robe.

The Snow-Treading Board sufficed for flight, though it was far from ideal. When it came to mobility, he preferred his Cloud-Stepping Boots along with his own movement techniques—Carefree Wander and Wind-Control.

Beyond that, he carried the Soul-Grieving Bell and more than a thousand spent Jade Essence Beads.

And these were merely his external tools.

His true strength still lay in his spells.

But I still lack battle experience against other cultivators, Luo Chen thought. In the confined space of the Debate Platform, most of my tactics would be countered after one or two uses.

Maybe I should consider challenging some of the less formidable ranked cultivators to hone my combat experience?

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel eager to try.

Participation in the late-stage Qi-Refining matches required wagering an enchanted artifact. That didn't worry him as he had a few unused low-grade artifacts that he could easily use as wagers.

Luo Chen was well aware that blind cultivation without practical experience was not ideal. No matter how much wealth he amassed, if he ever faced defeat against an enemy, all his possessions could be taken.

Even if he managed to survive, all his efforts would be nothing more than an illusion.

It was essential to refine offensive techniques to safeguard his path.

Although he often sought out demonic beasts for practice, in truth first tier beasts lacked intelligence. Even the stronger ones acted purely on instinct.

When it comes to honing offensive techniques, battling human cultivators [1] was a faster way to improve.

Additionally, Mi Shuhua had mentioned earlier that cultivators who frequently engaged in combat often ended up with purer spiritual power than those who focused solely on cultivation. Clearly, combat could aid in refining spirit power to some extent.

However, there was no rush. Luo Chen could revisit the idea when he had more time.

After observing the rankings for a while, Luo Chen headed home with Xiaoyue and Feng Xia, who had just finished work.

Back at the courtyard, he settled last month's accounts with each of them.

The Chen Yue Snack Stall had brought in steady earnings at around six hundred spirit stones. Luo Chen gave Xiaoyue her share of sixty spirit stones, and she went home beaming with joy.

As for the milk tea shop, Luo Chen was pleasantly surprised by the result.

In its first month, the shop had pulled in over five hundred spirit stones in gross income. After deducting a little over a hundred spirit stones for expenses like ingredients and rent, about four hundred remained.

Luo Chen kept three hundred and thirty for himself, then handed the remaining seventy spirit stones to Feng Xia.

"This much?" Feng Xia was a little surprised.

Luo Chen smiled faintly. "It's not much. Your base salary is the same as when you worked at the Hall of Hundred Herbs—fifty spirit stones. The extra twenty is your profit share."

After all, Feng Xia was a late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator at the seventh stage. Hiring someone like her for just seventy spirit stones a month was an absolute bargain.

Luo Chen couldn't help but feel satisfied.

"In the future, the shop's business will only get better, and Sister Xia, you'll earn even more spirit stones."

Feng Xia happily accepted the spirit stones. She ran her fingers over the spirit stones, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sometimes, there are just too many people for me to handle. Otherwise, we could've made even more last month."

"I know. That's why I've said before that once you get used to things, we can hire someone else." Luo Chen nodded.

"What do you think about Xiao Duan?"

Hearing Duan Feng's name, Luo Chen was momentarily taken aback.

Feng Xia sighed. "Rather than waiting for him to recover only to fight for his life on the Debate Platform, wouldn't it be better for him to stay safe and sell milk tea here?"

"The neighbors in the courtyard have come and gone over the years. Xiao Duan may seem aloof, but he's actually a good person. I don't want to see him die on the Debate Platform."

Luo Chen blinked. Sister Xia, is that really your reason?

But he didn't call her out on it. Instead, he smiled and said, "If Xiao Duan is willing, I don't mind. But he won't get any dividends, just a fixed monthly salary of fifty spirit stones."

"Fifty is more than enough. After saving for a few years, he could even open a shop for repairing enchanted artifacts. Yes, he's quite skilled at that." Feng Xia added, growing more convinced of her own suggestion as she spoke.

However, by the next day, before Luo Chen left, Duan Feng had already turned down the offer.

"Before I recover, I'll help Sister Xia with the milk tea shop," he said. "But I don't need any spirit stones.

"Once I've healed, I'm still going back to the Debate Platform. I need to hone myself."

That was his answer. Feng Xia couldn't force him, and Luo Chen, of course, didn't object either. This was free labor, after all! As Luo Chen was leaving the city, a thought struck him.

The spirit power fluctuations in Duan Feng's body didn't seem much different from before, but as his injuries healed, why did he feel much stronger than before?

Could it be that he's using his battles on the Debate Platform to refine his spirit power in the late Qi-Refining stage?

For some reason, this possibility came to Luo Chen's mind.

If that's really the case, maybe I should set aside some time and step onto the platform myself... for a few matches.

1. A human cultivator specifically refers to a mortal human who embarks on the cultivation path to transcend the limitations of their human body and spirit to achieve longevity, power, and eventually immortality. ☜