Longevity begins with alchemy master

"Brother Luo...Senior!"

The word "brother" that was on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back by Manager Yan, who replaced it with the more respectful address of "senior".

"Did you know I was coming, senior?"

After speaking, Steward Yan stared intently at Luo Chen, making sure not to miss the slightest change in the other's expression.

To his disappointment, Luo Chen remained calm and composed.

“I punished Lai Er right in front of you. If you had any sense at all, you should have noticed something was amiss and come looking for me. If you don’t even have that much sense, then you might as well not come.”

Manager Yan suddenly realized that Luo Chen had indeed made his move intentionally.

The reason I arrived late was because I had conducted a thorough investigation, which took some time.

Investigate Jing Lan, investigate Luo Chen's background, investigate the strange injuries on Lai Er's body, and even thoroughly investigate Luo Chen's actions in Qingshan Town that day.

After completing all these preparations, he finally felt a little more confident about making the visit.

After careful consideration, Steward Yan asked, "Senior, are you a cultivator from beyond the borders?"

Luo Chen raised his eyes, and his calm expression finally changed.

The other party referred to himself as a "cultivator of immortality," rather than a practitioner or the immortal being as described by ignorant mortals, which indicated that he clearly understood the difference between cultivators of immortality and other beings.

In other words, within this Great Cataclysm Realm, there are either orthodox cultivators or relevant records!

"So what if it is? So what if it's not?"

Manager Yan lowered his head and said humbly, "Whether it is true or not, it will not affect my invitation to become the young city lord's retainer. It's just that after confirming your background, I can promise you some conditions on your behalf."

"Young City Lord?" Luo Chen looked at the other party curiously. "You're from the City of Lost Immortals?"

Manager Yan puffed out his chest and proudly declared, "Yes, I am under the command of the young city lord of Yixian City, and I manage the industries of Qingshan Town on his behalf."

However, when he mentioned the last three words, Qingshan Town, a hint of bitterness appeared on the pride on Master Yan's face.

Clearly, his arrival in this remote Qingshan Town was not of his own volition.

Luo Chen had no interest in finding out the inside story; he was more curious about the matter of cultivators.

"You cultivate the path of body refinement, not the path of qi refinement, yet you know about immortal cultivators. Are there any true immortal cultivators within this Great Cataclysm Realm?"

"Perhaps there are, but mostly not," Master Yan replied.

Luo Chen frowned deeply. "What do you mean by that?"

Manager Yan frankly said, "Senior should have also discovered that there is no so-called spiritual energy in the world within this realm, making it completely unsuitable for cultivators. Even if someone like you occasionally enters the Great Destruction Realm, they will only be able to stagnate for the rest of their lives."

Luo Chen nodded; based on his observations, the external environment was indeed as described.

To put it more seriously, it's not just a matter of stagnation, but also a risk of falling from a higher level!
Because there is no external spiritual energy to replenish them, cultivators' magical power diminishes with each use, eventually causing their cultivation level to drop and even affecting their lifespan.

Manager Yan continued to answer.

"Furthermore, according to some previous records, the Great Destruction Realm has an extremely unique environment that greatly restricts cultivators. The lack of spiritual energy is one issue, but even the primordial energy of heaven and earth here is greatly altered. The great techniques and supernatural powers that cultivators unleash will have their power reduced by seventy or eighty percent, as if they have been annihilated into the world. Not only that, if they are unfortunate enough to encounter the Soul-Shattering Thunder Sound, their outward divine sense will be severely damaged. At best, their soul will be damaged; at worst, they will perish on the spot."

Luo Chen blurted out, his voice filled with disbelief: "How is this possible!"

Manager Yan spread his hands and said, "I don't know if it's true or not. These things are what I heard the young city lord say when I was following him. There should be relevant records in the classics, but unfortunately I don't have any copies here."

Luo Chen took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He had no magical power left, so he had not experimented with casting spells or supernatural abilities, and did not know the specifics.

But what Steward Yan just mentioned about the "soul-stirring thunderous sound" reminded him of the ghostly rain he encountered when he woke up.

Before the rain of ghosts, there were bursts of thunder.

At that moment, he felt as if his soul and spirit were being destroyed.

At this moment, what the other party said has been confirmed!

Upon thinking this, Luo Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

If the entire Great Cataclysm Realm were like this, it would be nothing short of a natural cage for cultivators.

From spiritual consciousness to magical power, from cultivation to combat, it is almost completely restricted.

Once a cultivator enters this place, even if they previously possessed world-destroying and earth-shattering abilities, their strength will likely be drastically reduced. While not exactly at the mercy of others, they will at least be completely disoriented. What Steward Yan just said—that there are basically no cultivators—is probably not an exaggeration.

Upon realizing this, Luo Chen's mind raced, and he asked, "If that's really the case, and if I am indeed a cultivator, then I wouldn't be considered particularly powerful in this world. Why would Steward Yan bother to come and invite me?"

Manager Yan smiled and said, “Senior is too modest. The methods you used to punish Lai Er were beyond the capabilities of ordinary cultivators. I imagine that even if you only have one or two tenths of your abilities left, you are still far beyond the mortal realm. If I could introduce a strong person like you to the young city lord, I might be able to make amends and leave this Green Mountain Town.”

At this point, his smile faded slightly, and he cupped his hands to Luo Chen, saying, "Of course, before that, I would like to make the presumptuous request to test your strength, so that I may not exaggerate in front of the young city lord and be scolded instead."

Luo Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded gently: "You're permitted!"

Master Yan's expression turned slightly serious. He leaped to a wide-open space, ready to unleash his power.

Layers of red energy surged from his body, gradually forming a huge tiger's head.

Luo Chen stood three zhang away, watching this scene, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

"The Transformation of Internal Energy in the second stage of Body Refinement?"

"No, the transformation of energy emphasizes dispersing the body's energy to every part of the body, and when it is circulated, it can be done at will and with supernatural skill. This method of transforming energy is more like an imitation of the transformation of qi in the third realm."

"But they've gone astray!"

Luo Chen did not follow the orthodox path of body refinement, but that did not mean he was unaware of the theoretical knowledge of this method.

Not to mention the many ancient body-refining techniques he had collected in the Mountain and Sea Realm, his good brother Wang Yuan was a proper body cultivator.

After Wang Yuan cultivated to the fourth stage of Body Refinement, the Flawless Golden Realm, he wrote down the relevant techniques and cultivation methods in a book and put it in the Luo Tian Sect's library for disciples to study and research. Luo Chen naturally read it all.

Therefore, in the instant that Master Yan revealed his skills, many clues were revealed.

After preparing himself, Chief Steward Yan gave a loud shout:
"Senior, watch out!"

Then, the opponent threw a punch, and the roar of a tiger almost echoed throughout Half Moon Village.

Jing Lan, who was eavesdropping behind the door, was so close that she was so shocked that she fell to the ground.

Luo Chen looked at the heavy force of energy rushing towards him, and calmly stretched out his hand to block it.

The next moment, a scene that left Steward Yan speechless unfolded.

That domineering and ferocious tiger energy actually succumbed to Luo Chen's grasp and gradually dissipated.

Immediately, Luo Chen moved.

Without any visible movement, he simply took a step and appeared before Steward Yan.

She gently touched his palm with one finger.

puff!
The energy that Master Yan had gathered throughout his body seemed to have been punctured, causing it to collapse and shatter.

Manager Yan staggered back a few steps, his face flushed unnaturally, as if he were drunk.

After he regained his balance, he subconsciously swallowed.

"Senior, your blood and energy are truly powerful!"

Yes, Luo Chen blocked that attack without using any sophisticated techniques; he simply used his abundant blood and qi to block it.

Later, he defeated Master Yan by using pure speed and strength to disperse the concentrated energy he had gathered.

This minor technique is not difficult for Luo Chen. In fact, even without any special means, he could tear apart a fourth-tier demon emperor with the terrifying power and speed that his physical body can unleash!
Luo Chen, with his hands behind his back, calmly asked, "Are you satisfied with the test results?"

Manager Yan nodded repeatedly, “I am at the late stage of the Blood River Realm. Since you were able to defeat me so easily, you must be at least a powerful being at the third stage of Body Refinement, the Furnace Realm. You are worthy of being my honored guest.”

At this point, he pointed to the items that the servants had brought up earlier.

"It was only a matter of time before you joined my lord's ranks, and the corresponding reward will be determined by my lord. These are just some additional tokens of my appreciation. Also..."

Master Yan gritted his teeth, took out a thin booklet from his pocket, and respectfully handed it to Luo Chen.

"I obtained this technique by chance, and it has some wonderful uses for cultivators who have mistakenly entered the Great Destruction Realm. Senior, you may accept it, as it may increase your strength by three points."

Luo Chen glanced at him in surprise, then took the booklet.

"The Great Art of Dissolving Power?" (End of Chapter)