【Complete Tier 5 Law Derivation Pill recipe detected.】
【Initiate mastery?】
The dazzling prompt hovered quietly upon the interface.
After confirming the recipe was genuine, Luo Chen's ecstatic mood gradually settled.
He began to calculate.
Before coming to the Land of the Fallen Demon, he had accumulated a total of 334 achievement points over the years.
Without the Lanke Black Chess Piece and with his divine soul foundation somewhat lacking, he had spent 34 achievement points to forcibly initiate mastery of the Tier 4 spell Han Zhan had taught him—the Mind-Clearing Art—to safeguard against powerful beings like the Shark Sovereign Liu Jun attacking him with bewitching voices or divine illusions.
In the third trial of the Alchemy Realm, wanting to rattle the composure of his competitor, Haijiao Tianmu, through sheer concoction speed, he had used another thirty achievement points to initiate mastery of three demonic body-tempering pills. That had actually been a slight waste. With his ability, given a bit of time, he could have concocted Tier 3 pills normally.
In the fourth trial, among the three shapeshifting pills, aside from the Human Transformation Pill, he had spent another twenty achievement points to initiate mastery of the Demon Transformation Pill and Beast Transformation Pill. That had not been a waste. At his level, it would normally take several years to master a single Tier 4 recipe through self-study. Take the Nascent Soul Formation Pill recipe, for instance—after obtaining Han Zhan's original version, Luo Chen had pondered it for decades and was still somewhat unsure of it.
At this point, exactly 250 achievement points remained on the interface.
What a nice, clean two hundred and fifty!
Previously, Luo Chen had felt a bit uneasy about whether his accumulated achievement points would be enough.
Yet upon entering the fifth trial, he had vaguely sensed that this would be the final trial of the legacy examination.
And the examination prompt was to concoct a Tier 5 Law Derivation Pill.
Concocting pills across major realms was nothing rare for Luo Chen; he did it frequently.
Refining the Tier 2 Emperor's Flowing Syrup in the Qi Refinement stage, the Tier 3 Mingyuan Pill in Foundation Establishment, and during the Golden Core stage, concocting the Tier 4 Black Emperor Paste, Purple Qi Poison Ward Pill, and even the Transformation Pill.
Only this time, the gap was even more stark.
Because while his alchemical skill was at Tier 4, his personal cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage, and the Law Derivation Pill he needed to concoct was Tier 5.
Under such circumstances, should this be considered crossing one major realm or two?
This left Luo Chen somewhat uncertain.
If it counted as crossing one major realm, that would be manageable; according to the patterns he had determined about his cheat in earlier years, it generally cost between ten and one hundred achievement points.
But if it counted as crossing two major realms, it would be troublesome.
One hundred to one thousand?
If so, would two hundred and fifty achievement points be enough?
Staring at the prompt on the attribute interface, Luo Chen pondered for a long while, unable to make up his mind.
"I cannot act rashly!"
Ultimately, Luo Chen suppressed the restless impulse in his heart.
A recipe was wonderful, but one still had to actually concoct the pill.
The attribute interface was his greatest cheat. When his innate alchemical proficiency fell short of Haijiao Tianmu's, leaving her in the dust had relied entirely on using achievement points to force initial mastery, eliminating vast amounts of pointless trial and error.
If he invested achievement points only to find them insufficient for initial mastery, the loss would far outweigh any gain.
Therefore, Luo Chen decided against initiating mastery immediately. He would first thoroughly study the recipe!
The rules he had unraveled regarding the interface were not limited to the surface.
When certain prerequisite conditions were met, forcibly initiating mastery of a spell beyond one's realm could save a significant number of achievement points. For instance, the Mind-Clearing Art from not long ago—a Tier 4 spell—had not cost him a hundred achievement points.
Similarly, for high-tier pills, a deeper comprehension of the recipe and higher alchemical proficiency would greatly reduce the achievement points required to forcibly cross realms. A concrete example was when he had initiated mastery of Emperor's Flowing Syrup back in the Qi Refinement stage.
"Step by step first!"
Luo Chen stood up and left the dim, secluded cottage.
***
"The so-called Qi Manipulation Art refers to methods of discerning, controlling, and channeling external spiritual qi."
"Rather than an alchemical art, it is closer to a spell, only gentler and better suited to the Dao of alchemy."
Within the Alchemy Realm, atop a towering precipice.
Luo Chen sat cross-legged, letting the astral winds buffet his face and set his Daoist robe fluttering.
His eyes were lucid, his fingertips continuously shifting through hand seals.
On the whole, the movements appeared somewhat stiff and sluggish.
More than half a year had passed since his arrival in the fifth trial.
During this half-year, he had immersed himself in studying the Law Derivation Pill recipe, even making two copies: one engraved into a jade slip with divine sense, the other brushed onto bamboo slips in ink.
The former was for preservation, while the latter allowed convenient review at any moment.
Yet progress in researching the recipe was exceedingly slow.
Under normal circumstances, Tier 5 pills could only be concocted by Tier 5 alchemists, though some formidable Tier 4 alchemists could also attempt them across realms.
Mapped to cultivation realms, that was the difference between Soul Formation and Nascent Soul.
Consequently, concocting this pill involved many prerequisite conditions that seemed simple on the surface but were insurmountable barriers for a Golden Core cultivator!
How so?
Just like Tier 3 pills often required a cultivator's true fire to provide a crucial boost at critical junctures, yet true fire could only be invoked at Foundation Establishment or above. Could a Qi Refinement cultivator manage it? Impossible!
Tier 5 pills had many similar constraints.
Unable to grasp everything all at once, Luo Chen had no choice but to break it down piece by piece.
From the medicinal properties of every single herb to the specific concoction methods and the most intricate alchemical arts, he dismantled the process step by step.
In the end, he was surprised to find that the very first three trials provided him with immense assistance now.
The primary and supplementary ingredients needed for the Law Derivation Pill were all recorded on the study's bamboo slips in those first three trials; comprehending them now was not difficult.
As for the alchemical arts, he discovered he had already learned them in the first three trials as well.
Aside from the most fundamental Pure Heart Hand and Star Plucking Hand, what he currently needed most to master was the Qi Manipulation Art!
"If I had the Nascent Soul realm, this art would be as easy as lifting a finger."
"Yet, as it happens, I am only at Golden Core."
Failing once more to manipulate the qi, Luo Chen let out a bitter smile.
The Qi Manipulation Art was not difficult, but that was strictly for Nascent Soul True Persons.
For Nascent Soul True Persons could command a true Nascent Soul domain and distinguish the elemental attributes of the ambient spiritual qi drifting in natural space.
Even if they could only fully command the single element they excelled at, outside of battle they could still leisurely drive spiritual qi of other attributes.
Han Zhan had explained the specifics to him before; it was merely a little trick of redirecting force.
Yet a Golden Core cultivator's understanding of heaven and earth was far too shallow.
Surrounded by an undifferentiated blur, how could one discern the differences in attributes?
"Take it steady. As long as I initiate mastery, everything will be fine!"
Beneath his bitter smile, Luo Chen still held a measure of confidence.
That was how the proficiency interface worked: it didn't fear reaching high realms; its only obstacle was being kept outside the threshold.
And now, Luo Chen had vaguely touched upon the key to initiation.
Magic power circulated through his body, his eyes grew lucid, and his divine sense dispersed outward.
Not only that, the Senluo Fire Prison expanded straight outward.
Faintly, fiery spiritual qi in heaven and earth seemed to resonate in harmony!
Several days later.
Luo Chen's hand seal paused, and a wisp of spiritual qi was drawn in from the void!
His gaze narrowed. Looking at the wisp of spiritual qi swirling around his fingertips, a satisfied expression surfaced in his eyes.
He opened the attribute interface.
In the Alchemical Arts column, 【Qi Manipulation Art: Beginner (1/100)】 flickered with a faint light.
"It worked!"
Relieved, Luo Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air.
From here on, he only needed to practice relentlessly every day and drive up its proficiency.
By his estimate, he needed at least the Perfect level to barely handle concocting the Law Derivation Pill, and reaching Grandmaster would be even better.
On the interface, Grandmaster corresponded to Great Accomplishment in the outside world, which was already the lifelong pinnacle for ordinary alchemists.
Luo Chen stood up, descended from the peak, and headed toward the stone cottage of the fifth trial.
Before long, he pushed open the pharmacy doors.
Every herb radiating potent spiritual qi was neatly sorted and arranged upon wooden shelves.
Some were shielded by magical barriers, while others were stored inside jade boxes or golden cauldrons.
Across all five trials of the Alchemy Realm, this was the most straightforward arrangement yet.
Luo Chen did not need to expend energy gathering herbs; everything was already prepared in advance!
Luo Chen surmised that the previous trials had already tested an alchemist's ability to identify and process ingredients, so the fifth trial dispensed with that step entirely.
Even so, Luo Chen did not let his guard down.
With a wave of his sleeve, a cauldron lid lifted, and a fist-sized red fruit floated out slowly.
Gazing at the red fruit, Luo Chen's eyes held an infatuated gleam.
A Tier 5 spirit herb: the Yaochen Vermilion Fruit!
Prior to entering the Land of the Fallen Demon, this was a spirit herb he had never even heard of.
He had only learned its name from the bamboo slips in the Alchemy Realm.
It grew at the apex of the Jade Pool and Purple Empyrean, formless yet possessing appearance; only upon being harvested would it condense into solid substance, and harvesting required specific alchemical arts, or else one would obtain nothing but a puff of mist.
Taken raw, it could bolster the divine soul!
And if refined into medicine... its potency became even more profound and unfathomable.
The prime example was the Law Derivation Pill!
That was precisely why Luo Chen was so captivated by this fruit.
For it was the sole primary ingredient of the Law Derivation Pill!
According to the bamboo slips, the Yaochen Vermilion Fruit was born at Tier 4, with each maturation cycle taking three thousand years—one tier per cycle across three cycles.
At its pinnacle, it could reach Tier 7!
The Yaochen Vermilion Fruit in this golden cauldron happened to be from the first maturation cycle, at Tier 5.
Before Demon Lord Heaven Refiner, no one knew how to utilize the Yaochen Vermilion Fruit; all had simply consumed it raw to strengthen their divine souls.
Only after Demon Lord Heaven Refiner was there a recipe to refine it into medicine, creating the divine Law Derivation Pill.
The sheer brilliance of that generation's True Monarch could be glimpsed through this single recipe!
"If I don't concoct pills and just eat it directly, would it strengthen my divine soul?"
For some reason, the thought crossed Luo Chen's mind.
Ultimately, he dismissed it.
Everything in the Alchemy Realm gave Luo Chen a dreamlike, illusory sensation.
The herbs carpeting the mountains could not be taken away.
The vast sea of bamboo slips could not be taken away.
Only finished pills concocted here could be placed into a storage ring.
He had no idea whether consuming the Yaochen Vermilion Fruit raw would preserve its effects once he cleared the trial and moved to the next stage.
Moreover, the number of Yaochen Vermilion Fruits in the golden cauldrons was limited; he had to account for the materials needed for the Law Derivation Pill.
"Time to study it carefully!"
***
As Luo Chen spent his days researching recipes, practicing alchemical arts, and familiarizing himself with ingredients, time flowed quietly by.
A year passed in the blink of an eye!
On this day, standing upon the precipice, Luo Chen formed seals with both hands, and massive currents of qi, roaring like flood dragons, surged toward him from every direction.
Suddenly.
He shifted his seal. The numerous currents began to diverge, gradually revealing spiritual glows of diverse colors.
Witnessing this, surprise and delight flared in Luo Chen's eyes.
Manipulating qi like dragons, separating the natural elements!
In one year, the Qi Manipulation Art had reached Great Accomplishment—advancing to Grandmaster!
This was something he had not anticipated at the start.
Initiating mastery had taken half a year.
Yet once initiated, mastering one opened the way to all!
Using the Senluo Fire Prison as a guide, he had manipulated fire-attribute spiritual qi between heaven and earth—that was the first stage.
In the second stage, he attempted to convert spiritual qi, using his innately Five Elements Golden Core to channel Five Elements spiritual qi.
Finally, he recalled his signature spell, the Pinnacle-level Qingyang Great Handprint!
At its inception, that technique had not been a fire-attribute spell, but the Innate One Qi Great Handprint, encompassing all five elements!
Thus, Luo Chen returned to its origins, running the Qingyang Great Handprint in reverse to cast the Innate One Qi Great Handprints of the other four elements, coordinating them with the Qi Manipulation Art to channel the remaining four elemental attributes of spiritual qi between heaven and earth.
Having progressed through these three stages, Luo Chen's proficiency in the Qi Manipulation Art reached the Perfect level.
Then, through relentless practice, he accumulated proficiency step by step, ultimately crossing the threshold into Grandmaster.
At this stage, Luo Chen could even sense that when driving this alchemical art, he could channel attributes of spiritual qi beyond the five elements:
Wind, thunder, ice, light, darkness...
At that moment, seated cross-legged on the azure rock atop the mountain, Luo Chen slowly closed his eyes in deep contemplation.
Three days later, Luo Chen's eyes snapped open.
First, he tapped a finger to his chest. His natal Golden Core trembled, and the Senluo Fire Prison instantly expanded outward.
Next, forming a seal with his left hand, he unleashed the Qi Manipulation Art.
From the void, a deluge of fire-attribute spiritual qi poured in, flooding into the Senluo Fire Prison.
In an instant, Luo Chen almost felt as though he commanded heaven and earth, supreme and sovereign!
Yet after only a moment, the Senluo Fire Prison collapsed into ruins.
"Hmph..."
Luo Chen let out a muffled grunt, his face turning somewhat pale.
Infusing unrefined worldly spiritual qi into the Senluo Fire Prison had proved too strained in the end.
Yet!
He had truly grasped that sensation.
That was a genuine Nascent Soul domain!
Beneath his pale complexion, bright light flashed in his eyes.
"To think that practicing an alchemical art could serve as a stone from another mountain to polish my jade, taking my pseudo-domain a step further!"
"This gain alone makes this trip to the Land of the Fallen Demon well worth it!"
Luo Chen knew clearly that if he persisted in cultivating that feeling he had grasped, he had a great chance of mastering a true domain of heaven and earth.
In other words, commanding a Nascent Soul domain while still at the Golden Core stage.
Such an achievement would be shocking to the world across the vast cultivation realm.
Yet now was not the time to delve deeply into this technique.
He had far more pressing matters at hand.
He opened the attribute interface once more.
In Luo Chen's mind rose the complete recipe for the 【Law Derivation Pill】.
He had pushed everything he could do to the absolute limit.
Even if some areas could still be honed, further improvement could hardly be substantial.
He could not predict when the Land of the Fallen Demon would close.
Behind him, Haijiao Tianmu was in dogged pursuit.
Therefore, whether he succeeded or not, he had to take that leap.
【Complete Tier 5 Law Derivation Pill recipe detected.】
【Initiate mastery?】
Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen silently willed: "Initiate."
The next instant, the achievement points on the interface plummeted at a rapid pace.
250, 240... 180, 170...
Never before had achievement points burned away so fast.
Never before had Luo Chen's heart felt so on edge.
His mind remained glued to the interface; when the total fell to 【160】, his breathing nearly stopped.
The next moment.
【150】
His heart skipped a beat!
A breath later, his heart resumed beating.
Luo Chen's jaw dropped, before he broke into a silent, triumphant laugh.
It fell no further; the achievement points held steady at 【150】.
In other words, initiating mastery of this recipe had consumed exactly one hundred achievement points.
Reasonably speaking, he should have felt regret.
One hundred points meant that the Tier 5 pill corresponded to his rank as a Tier 4 alchemist, crossing only a single tier, which fell within the range of one hundred achievement points. That meant even if he hadn't spent time researching the recipe and practicing the alchemical art, he could have initiated mastery directly.
All that work had been in vain.
Yet!
"As long as it's mastered, that's all that matters."
Luo Chen smiled faintly and strolled down the mountain.
Returning to the stone cottage, he sat in quiet meditation for three days, bathed, changed into fresh robes, and burned incense to steady his spirit.
Three days later, laden with a large stash of medicinal ingredients, Luo Chen left the stone cottage.
Finding a mountain summit rich in spiritual qi that reached the Tier 4 level, he opened his mouth and spat, and the Hunyuan Cauldron flew out, spinning briskly.
Everything was prepared; success or failure now rested entirely upon the outcome of the concoction ahead.
Clad in a moon-white Daoist robe, Luo Chen flicked a finger. The Wither-Bloom True Fire descended beneath the Hunyuan Cauldron, and flames instantly surged in a blazing roar!
Chapter 690