Chapter 61: The Origin of Alchemists

Chapter 61: The Origin of the Alchemists

Time flew like shooting stars, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

The capital had already returned to tranquility.

At the Qin residence in West Sanqiao Alley.

Qin Yuan sat on a stone bench beneath the jujube tree, taking out a scroll of notes that he had already perused several times over this period.

The signature at the top belonged to the Supervisor.

The notes had been picked up.

It was Sun Laodian who had snatched them from the Supervisor, which had nothing to do with Qin Yuan.

The highest realm for someone who lived by the philosophy of keeping a low profile was to deceive even oneself.

Lately, Qin Yuan had even considered whether he should erase his memories of certain things he had done in the past.

Digressing too far.

He brought his gaze back to the notes.

The notes provided a clear introduction to the first three realms of this world.

The first realm was called the Mountain-Sea Realm, consisting of three minor realms. It focused on cultivating the Qi Sea, followed by a bunch of explanations that Qin Yuan lost interest in after glancing at them twice.

The second realm was called the Five Qi Returning to Origin Realm, consisting of five minor realms. It focused on cultivating the five viscera, and successfully refining one viscus granted a divine avatar.
(Another explanation for the Five Qi Returning to Origin Realm was transforming the five qi in the chest into five primordial spirits, which essentially meant the same thing.)

The third realm was called the Spirit-Refining Realm, consisting of five minor realms. It focused on cultivating the five limbs and the head—two arms and two legs. Successfully refining one limb granted a manifestation of heaven and earth. It looked somewhat similar to the second realm, as both involved turning a part of the body into its primordial spirit.

Putting the notes away, Qin Yuan's mind stirred.

His surface cultivation base rapidly surged from the first layer of the Mountain-Sea Realm all the way to the Spirit-Refining Realm.

A manifestation of heaven and earth appeared behind him.

Then, as if playing a game, four more manifestations of heaven and earth appeared in succession.

This was the fruit of Qin Yuan's leisure time over the past month...

He possessed the magical power; as long as he knew how to maneuver it, manifesting it was effortless.

With a thought, Qin Yuan withdrew the five manifestations back into his body.

His cultivation level shrank back to the first layer of the Mountain-Sea Realm.

"I should go visit the Grand Governor and the Supervisor in the prison, and incidentally inquire about a few things."

In the blink of an eye, a disguised Qin Yuan arrived at the heavily guarded prison (the former Heavenly Prison had been renamed, as Lin Dong felt the character for 'Heaven' was inappropriate).

Cell Number 17 in Block Bing.

The Supervisor had been crippled, and his physical body had lost its divinity.

Staring blankly at the ground, he seemed to have turned into a fool.

An aged voice abruptly echoed in the Supervisor's mind: "As a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Spirit-Refining Realm, how did you manage to fall to such a state?"

The Supervisor's body trembled, and he replied with shame: "This junior was ambushed twice by a man named Sun Laodian. The first time, Sun Laodian disguised himself as my close friend to launch a stealth attack while I was off guard. The second time, he suddenly struck with a supreme treasure when I was already heavily injured."

"There actually exists such a truly shameless person in this world."

Qin Yuan expressed his disdain.

"Indeed, utterly shameless."

The Supervisor said through clenched teeth.

Had it not been for the sneak attacks, he was confident he would not have lost to the other party.

Qin Yuan snorted inwardly and said, "I ask and you answer. If your answers satisfy me, I will save you and take you out of here."

Such a wonderful thing actually existed.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, the Supervisor respectfully said, "Senior, please speak."

"First question, who divided the realms of cultivation?"

The Supervisor was stunned, and it took him quite a while to reply: "This junior does not know. In my early years, I was a martial arts master who traveled overseas in search of immortals. On an island, I discovered a stone cave left behind by a man named Chang Hong, inside which were twenty-four stone chambers entirely dedicated to mystical arts. When this junior first began studying them, the effects were negligible. However, starting over fifty years ago, heaven and earth suddenly underwent a transformation. My accumulated years of foundation caused my cultivation base to skyrocket all the way, granting me the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Spirit-Refining Realm in just over fifty years."

Chang Hong.

A ripple stirred in Qin Yuan's heart at this name.

So familiar.

Uh, in his previous life, there was an idiom: Chang Hong transforming into jade.

Chang Hong was also hailed as the earliest alchemist.

This Chang Hong, I should thoroughly investigate—my foot!

Just look into it casually.

Lest curiosity kill the cat.

"Second question, how much do you know about the overseas realms?"

Qin Yuan had always avoided this question.

He was afraid of being killed by curiosity.

Now, possessing four hundred years of magical power, Qin Yuan felt he finally had the qualifications to understand a little.

The Supervisor wore an expression of lingering fear: "Not much. The moment this junior approached many of the islands and seas, I would be seized by a sense of palpitation and a feeling of impending sudden death. Once, I almost lost my life, and a sworn brother of mine, whose cultivation was stronger than mine, died precisely on that occasion. The reason I led the alchemists to move from overseas back to the mainland was simply because the overseas regions were becoming increasingly unsafe."

Qin Yuan thought to himself that it was a good thing he hadn't been arrogant enough to go on an overseas expedition.

He immediately mocked himself for it.

Believing everything people said—who knew if it was fabricated?

"Third question, why is everyone's method of cultivating immortality so bizarre?"

The Supervisor was once again dumbfounded, and after a long pause, he said, "The big fish eats the small fish, and the small fish eats the shrimp; isn't this the natural way of the Dao? What kind of cultivation of immortality does Senior think is not bizarre?"

Qin Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Devoid of utilitarianism, devoid of harsh hostility, unassertive, not competing for cultivation resources, a spiritual pursuit, imbued with immortal air, and a bit boring."

This was a description of cultivating immortality that Qin Yuan had seen while surfing the internet in his past life, which many people chased after.

"Such people... this junior has met them. Later—"

"Later, what happened?"

"Later, they were sucked dry."

Qin Yuan fell silent.

"What Senior describes sounds more like the cultivation of immortality depicted in vernacular novels."

The Supervisor chuckled and continued, "Confucianism and Buddhism also paint very beautiful pictures, but when it comes to putting them into action, it is a completely different story. To speak bluntly, what is so great about cultivating immortality? Just bearing the word 'immortal' makes one superior to the secular world?

"A cultivator's yearning for magical power and longevity—how is it any different from a mortal's yearning for wealth and power?

"Since there is no difference, the rules they follow are also the same.

"As long as there are cultivators who, driven by greed, fear, and a growing anxiety about other cultivators, strive to make themselves stronger, the rest of the cultivators have only two choices: do the same, or die. The Heavenly Dao is ruthless, and the Human Dao is even more ruthless."

After waiting for a while without hearing a response, the Supervisor showed a look of regret.

He shouldn't have spoken brutal truths that shattered this ancient monster's lingering illusions.

Cell Number 10 in Block Jia.

Zheng Sanfa sat leaning against the wall. Like the Supervisor, he had been crippled, and his physical body had lost its divinity.

"Answer a few questions for me. If your answers satisfy me, I will help you get out of here."

An aged voice appeared in Zheng Sanfa's mind.

"How do I know you aren't tricking me?"

Asked Zheng Sanfa, whose paranoia ran deep.

"I, Zhang Yi, have always been a man of my word."

Qin Yuan said with a solemn expression.

So this senior's name was Zhang Yi.

"Senior, please ask,"

Zheng Sanfa hurriedly said.

Qin Yuan repeated the questions he had just asked.

And obtained similar answers.

Which meant that even if there was fabrication, it couldn't be far off from the truth.

"Final question, where is the Fivefold Avian Immortal? What is his true cultivation level?"

The alchemists were finished.

The Fivefold Avian Immortal was Qin Yuan's next target.

A living person needed a goal, and an immortal being needed a goal even more.

Otherwise, how were they any different from a walking corpse?

"This junior does not know either. They always sought me out."

Zheng Sanfa said awkwardly.

Hiding so securely—was it out of disdain? Or was his cultivation not as formidable as imagined?

If it was the former, he would naturally continue to act timidly and deferentially.

But if it was the latter, heh heh.

Qin Yuan's thoughts churned.

He spent a good twenty minutes trying to think of a chapter title, damn it.

He'd just pick one at random.