Longevity begins with alchemy master

Yixian City, early March.

The snow melts, and the grass grows and birds fly.

Crowds of people converged on the city center from all directions, like rivers flowing into the sea.

Such a grand occasion is rare, not only in Yixian City, but even in the other seventy-two cities, it is a once-in-a-century event.

Because today is the day when the "martial arts contest will determine the winner"!
The city lords of the seventy-two cities are usually powerful martial artists.

These beings possess a profound spiritual realm and lifespan far exceeding that of mortals, often starting at several hundred years. Therefore, for mortals, even a lifetime might not be enough to witness firsthand the change of city lord and the appointment of a new ruler.

But this time, the City of Lost Immortals appeared!
In fact, everyone had a premonition that this day would come when the previous city lord left ten years ago. However, no one expected that the old city lord would not send any decree and would actually develop the situation to the point of deciding the city lord's position through a martial arts contest.

Among the crowds, a group of people dressed in fine clothes led the way, and no one dared to compete with them.

These people are among the most important figures in the city. They either own a large number of businesses in the city or have expanded their businesses to other cities. They are powerful figures who roam the surrounding areas and usually have one or two experts at the Furnace Realm under their command.

Following these people were the local wealthy people of Yixian City. They were not as strong as the former, and they could not afford to hire a Furnace Realm expert to personally oversee things. They could only spend a great deal of money to invite a Furnace Realm expert to nominally serve them and provide some protection.

The owners of Renjitang and Qianjinguan were also among them. They allowed their managers and guards to protect the two men, who chatted as they walked.

"Boss Xue, you sent a message earlier saying that the martial arts contest we hired will personally take action this time. Is that true?" Boss Shen of Qianjin Pavilion asked loudly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Mr. Xue, the owner of Renjitang, listened intently and heard Mr. Shen's voice amidst the noise. He laughed and said, "It can't be false. This news came from the Luo residence. I privately asked Madam Jing, and although she didn't confirm it herself, she didn't deny it either."

Boss Shen's eyes lit up. "If that's really the case, we might be able to use his reputation to deter petty thieves!"

Mr. Xue, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, his heart filled with excitement.

In the past, only large shops with many branches could hire powerful figures at the level of guest elders of the city lord's mansion as their own retainers. These people had some strength in Yixian City, but their influence could not spread because they lacked high-level martial artists to oversee them.

This time I was lucky and got in touch with Luo Chen.

Although many people looked down on Luo Chen when they heard that his cultivation level was only Blood River Realm, and even mocked the three families for spending a lot of money to hire such a Body Refinement Level 2 martial artist, they had no choice but to take a gamble.

In their view, martial arts realm and such are irrelevant, but the position of guest elder in the city lord's mansion is a real and tangible fact.

No matter how high one's realm, strength is ultimately paramount. The title of Guest Elder of the City Lord's Mansion is an absolute recognition of Luo Chen's strength!

"Of course, all of this depends on the premise that the one who makes the move today will win!"

"Yes, too!"

"Boss Yang from Banyuelou is here too, let's meet up with him!"

Like Renji Hall and Qianjin Hall, Banyuelou was a force that had spent a lot of money to hire Luo Chen as a figurehead. After meeting, the three parties gathered together to carefully observe today's martial arts event.

……

Martial Arts Arena!
This world is dominated by martial artists who cultivate their bodies, and martial arts battles occur frequently.

Therefore, arenas for martial arts competitions were commonplace, found in cities large and small.

In particular, the martial arts arenas in the seventy-two main cities were all built by Wuyou City at great expense. It is rumored that once these martial arts arenas are fully operational, they can even withstand the combat intensity of experts at the Wulou Realm.

Of course, it's not usually that high. Generally, only those at the first or second level of Body Refinement use the arena, and even experts at the Furnace Realm rarely step onto the stage.

This is easy to understand. After all, only low-level martial artists are still pursuing fame, so they naturally need a lot of public battles to attract the world's attention.

However, those at the Furnace Realm level need not do so.

Once you reach that level, numerous forces will actively recruit you and provide you with cultivation resources.

They only need to train diligently on weekdays, study martial arts techniques and killing moves, and then use them to show their power when trouble arises.

But today is different. With the permission of Envoy Wuyou, the martial arts arena in Yixian City has been fully opened, just to provide a perfect fighting environment for all the powerful warriors participating in the martial arts tournament.

Looking at the arena covered in dark blood, Luo Chen gradually withdrew his gaze.

With a base of lapis lazuli, it can withstand purely physical attacks, and with an obsidian platform, it absorbs the impact of vital energy. On the fighting arena, there are also array patterns outlined with the blood of some special beast.

At this moment, under human stimulation, a transparent yet tough invisible shield was generated, which seemed unshakeable!
"Worry-Free City, which built this arena, clearly possesses an extremely advanced weapon-forging heritage. Only by perfectly combining the principles of array formations and weapon-forging materials from the path of cultivation with the changes in qi and blood during body refinement, can such an arena be forged, capable of withstanding powerful attacks."

"Although the martial arts arena in Yixian City is just a copy, it only reveals a small part of the craftsmanship, which is already close to the Dao!"

"That City of No Worries is truly making me even more curious!"

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, muttering to himself.

He was proficient in all arts and crafts, and had long since reached the level of a master in casting weapons, formations, and even material identification. Naturally, he could perceive the profound heritage of Worry-Free City through these details that ordinary people would not notice.

It would be impossible for someone who is not a master of array formations to easily construct such a martial arts arena capable of withstanding the attacks of a flawless realm expert!
If we also consider the numerous experts at the Perfect Realm who gather in Worry-Free City every hundred years, then the foundation of Worry-Free City is simply unfathomable!
It's no wonder Luo Chen had such wild thoughts; the flawless realm of the fourth stage of body refinement is comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator in the Qi Refining path.

Before the fog of destruction spread again, how many more experts at the Unblemished Realm had the City of Worry accumulated over the course of an era?

I'm afraid the number of Nascent Soul cultivators in any sacred land of the Mountain and Sea Realm is hard to compare with!
While Luo Chen was observing the martial arts arena, many people were secretly sizing him up.

Such as Granny Yu, Chi Huo, and even Xiao San Niang and the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army.

No one expected that after Xiao Zirui disappeared, Xiao Feng would place Luo Chen among the five candidates for the Martial Arts Tournament. Even though Xiao Feng had already informed the others at a previous private gathering, it still felt surreal today.

After all, Luo Chen's external cultivation level was only Blood River Realm. Although his blood and qi were powerful, he had not yet condensed an indestructible aura!
It should be noted that, according to the intelligence they gathered, the fighters sent by Young Master Xiao Yun this time were all true experts at the Furnace Realm.

Can Luo Chen withstand it?

"Ha ha……"

A hearty laugh came from behind. Everyone turned around and saw Xiao Feng stepping into the room under Tie Xiong's personal protection.

He looked triumphant, his eyes sweeping over the crowd with piercing gaze, before closing his folding fan and bowing with his hands clasped.

"I entrust this battle to you all!" (End of Chapter)