[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster":3,"chapter-immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-17":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Immortality Begins from an Alchemy Grandmaster",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1899421,2534,"Chapter 17: Windfall","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-17",17,"\u003Cp>\"You killed him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Luo Chen could answer, Wang Yuan nodded to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Luo Chen retreated in nervousness, Wang Yuan walked over to the charred corpse and swung his broadsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head, burned beyond recognition, was casually severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yuan glanced at the tense Luo Chen and the storage bag in his hand, his gaze complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night wind was chilly, and the blood-stained body felt even colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen forced an awkward smile. \"Brother Wang, I haven't finished that book yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if remembering something, Wang Yuan’s complex expression gradually faded, and his eyelids drooped once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go home early. Dahe Market is very dangerous at night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm-hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen turned to leave, but hesitated before walking back to arduously hoist the snake-skin bag full of herbs onto his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was his entire livelihood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Luo Chen’s back as he neared the alley exit, Wang Yuan sighed inexplicably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take this. Consider it payment for this head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black nail, the length of a chopstick, landed at Luo Chen’s feet. It was stained with fresh red blood and even bits of flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Wang, you’re too kind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost. Take the small woods, don't take the main road.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heavy nod, Luo Chen ducked into the small woods without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the alley, Wang Yuan stood for a moment, holding the three heads, before gradually fading into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wuwu...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haa!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen slumped against the bed frame like a dead fish, drenched in sweat, his underwear soaked through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the floor in front of his bed lay the other Soul-Breaking Nail that had been driven into his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enduring the intense pain, Luo Chen grabbed a jar of ointment from the side and poured it into the wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his homemade healing medicine, specifically for the danger of cauldron explosions during alchemy; it had helped him many times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, it had found an even greater use!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the powder entered his body, a cooling sensation emerged, followed by a searing, fiery pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn! Damn, damn, damn...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Low, growling curses echoed intermittently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never had Luo Chen felt as angry as he did now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't angry at the damage the enemy had caused him, but at his own weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were as strong as Wang Yuan, he wouldn't have ended up in this state today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after binding the wound with cloth did Luo Chen finally let out a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enduring the pain, he went to the living room, opened the snake-skin bag, and sorted the various herbs onto different shelves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These low-grade herbs and spiritual materials could not be mixed for long, or their effectiveness would be greatly diminished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stumbling footsteps, under the bean-sized oil lamp, looked pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen even felt this scene was exactly like his past life, when he would go to work sick after surgery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter where I am, I can't escape a life of toil. No wonder my lifespan in my past life was only seventy-five.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing all this, he finally had the energy to lie down on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The persistent pain in his waist kept him awake, even though he was exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helpless, he had to find something else to do to distract himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's see what kind of good stuff that guy who died even younger than me had.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storage bags of Qi Refining stage cultivators were undefended, as they lacked spiritual sense and could not set up restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the owner died, the magic power imprint on it naturally dissipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen mobilized his remaining bit of spiritual power and opened the storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pile of items instantly filled his wooden bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Today is the day of the big market; this guy actually bought a whole pile of things.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low-grade magic robe, a box of Soul-Calming Incense, five bottles of Grain Bigu Pills, one bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills, one bottle of Golden Cabinet Powder, and a stack of talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also a bundle of withered spiritual herbs; this was the stuff that took up most of the space on his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides these, there were the spirit stones Luo Chen cared about most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ninety-two low-grade spirit stones. Damn, he's a pauper!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen cursed, then happily began putting the items back one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit stones were indeed few, not matching the status of a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the value of the other items far exceeded those ninety-two low-grade spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the low-grade magic robe; although a bit worn—likely what the short-lived ghost had been wearing—it was worth at least a hundred spirit stones if sold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing’s activation speed was even faster than talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Luo Chen had been able to activate it so quickly earlier, and why the short-lived ghost had immediately activated the robe's defensive light shield when hit in the face by the Fireball Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been a complete mid-grade magic robe, it could have withstood six or seven fireballs, but unfortunately, it had already been damaged by Wang Yuan earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It hadn't even withstood the third hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three breaths of time were not enough for the severely injured Chen Xiao to use other means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five bottles of Grain Bigu Pills weren't worth much, and their quality wasn't as good as what Luo Chen refined himself, but they were still worth one spirit stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the others, they were very valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soul-Calming Incense was one of the best external aids for low-grade cultivators to assist in cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One stick of Soul-Calming Incense a day was enough to allow a cultivator to practice their core cultivation technique five more times; it was said to be able to restore the fragile souls of low-grade cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A box, containing twelve sticks, was worth 120 spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Needless to say, the Qi-Nurturing Pills; the pattern mark on them indicated they came from the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fixed price: 100 spirit stones per bottle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good stuff; after swallowing and refining them, they could increase spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for that stack of talismans, based on Luo Chen’s experience, they should be worth fifty or sixty spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't recognize the withered spiritual herbs that filled the bed, but the fact that they were specifically bought and kept in the storage bag meant they were definitely useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this calculation, the total value was already 400 spirit stones!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A windfall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, a horse doesn't get fat without night grass, and a man doesn't get rich without a windfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just that short moment tonight, Luo Chen’s net worth had quadrupled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his biggest gain wasn't even these items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the storage bag itself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its volume wasn't large, just one cubic foot; it was the smallest and cheapest type of storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Wanbao Pavilion, it was worth 10,000!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know if the short-lived ghost had been given it by someone else or had stolen it, but he definitely couldn't have afforded it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, the vast majority of low-grade cultivators couldn't afford even the smallest storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of thing was standard equipment for inner sect disciples of large sects; outer sect disciples didn't even deserve to own one!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm rich, I'm rich!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder killing people and seizing treasures is a classic trope in web novels; no matter the genre, it always has a place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s just that the risk is too high. One slip-up, and you’re finished, burying a lifetime of effort.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, two instances of killing for treasure had happened right in front of Luo Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zixiong of the Dajiang Gang gathered three people to surround and kill Wang Yuan, and the result was a disaster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth-layer Qi Refining short-lived ghost intended to kill Luo Chen instantly, and the result was a disaster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Such dangerous things are better left to the professionals; I can't handle the shock.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen’s mind turned, and he picked up the last jade bottle that hadn't been put into the storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden Cabinet Powder, one of the signature elixirs of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had excellent healing effects for any damage caused by metal-attribute magic tools, and it only cost ten spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High quality and low price; it had always been loved by the loose cultivators of Dahe Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sniffed it; the smell was fine, not poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, no one would put poison in a healing elixir bottle in their own storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one were severely injured and confused, taking the wrong medicine would be a huge joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It just meant he had to painstakingly undo the bandages he had just tied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sighing, Luo Chen had no choice but to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day at noon, Luo Chen woke up in a daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a rare sleep-in for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second half of the night, he hadn't been able to resist the weakness and had fallen asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening his eyes wide, he lay on the bed in a daze for a while before Luo Chen gritted his teeth and forced himself to crawl up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how bitter or difficult, it was no excuse to lie there and rot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went to the living room, picked up a handful of spiritual herbs, spread them flat on a winnowing basket, and prepared to take them out to dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushing open the door, the noon sun made it impossible to open his eyes for a moment. When he adapted, he was shocked to find Wang Yuan standing outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other man casually tossed something, and it landed in the basket full of spiritual herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take it. From now on, you are a member of the Poshan Gang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If anyone gives you trouble, just say you’re under my, Wang Yuan’s, protection.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen looked at the iron token in the basket with a stunned gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks, Brother Wang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yuan waved his hand. \"What’s there to thank? Back when I was at my lowest, you lent me a few bottles of Grain Bigu Pills, and I didn't say thank you to you either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, the item is yours, I’m heading back. The outer city might not be peaceful for a while, so be careful when you come and go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said that, he turned and left, without the slightest hesitation. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====\u003C\u002Fp>",1732,"2026-06-12T10:35:51.239Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","6d6081a7bf85ead319609e7c66d80b9bc94aab91c2ceb3caec4fc5abb53a526e","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-18","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-16",1090,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-cover.jpg"]