[{"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-18":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},1899422,2534,"Chapter 18: Soul-Breaking Nail, Soul-Calming Incense","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>The history between Luo Chen and Wang Yuan was actually not complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, both were loose cultivators who entered Dahe Market around the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike Luo Chen, who only had the strength of the first layer of Qi Refining, Wang Yuan was a secular Grandmaster of Innate Martial Arts who, by a stroke of luck, transitioned from martial arts to the immortal path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, upon first entering Dahe Market, Wang Yuan displayed impressive combat power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even joined a hunting squad, daring to enter the mountains to hunt low-grade demonic beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen had no strength back then, but to make a living, he followed along to help with odd jobs and carrying things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, due to his personality and experiences, Wang Yuan was different from the cautious loose cultivators; he did things in a bold and unrestrained way, possessing the spirit of a martial arts Grandmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this spirit brought him disaster in Dahe Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators robbed him, took everything he had, and beat him into a severe injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Yuan recovered, his personality changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prepare cultivation resources, he planned to enter the mountains again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several close friends lent him some things, and Luo Chen, who could already refine Grain Bigu Pills by then, also lent him a few bottles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the million mountains of the Eastern Wilderness, there were countless demonic beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivators entering the mountains basically never dared to light fires to cook, so Grain Bigu Pills were still very useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That time, Wang Yuan went alone, silently stepping into the Guyuan Mountain Range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month later, he returned, bringing back the corpse of a first-order demonic beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after that, the cultivators who had robbed Wang Yuan died one after another, and everyone knew it must have been Wang Yuan who had secretly struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one dared to give him trouble because Wang Yuan had joined the Poshan Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the largest loose cultivator force in the area, the Poshan Gang had a bit of a reputation, and coupled with Wang Yuan’s ruthlessness, he could be considered to have firmly established himself in the outer city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in the days that followed, Wang Yuan would sell magic tools and cultivation techniques at the market every few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were all items of unknown origin, and combined with the various rumors from when Wang Yuan started, everyone feared him even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was somewhat poignant to say that Luo Chen and Wang Yuan arrived at Dahe Market around the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten years passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen had barely reached the third layer of Qi Refining, but Wang Yuan was already a late-stage loose cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be said that the gap between people was even greater than the gap between people and dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He asked me to join the Poshan Gang and said he would protect me in the future. Why such a sudden move?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Luo Chen set up the herbs, he sat at the door, playing with the iron token engraved with the word \"Mountain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For the sake of past friendship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or because I killed that fifth-layer Qi Refining short-lived ghost across realms?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen couldn't know, so he could only carefully put the token away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The days that followed were somewhat monotonous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Processing various raw materials, practicing the Changchun Technique, and healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like this, it wasn't until nine days later that the wound on Luo Chen’s abdomen completely healed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to his previous plan, he could officially start refining the Zhongmiao Pills tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Luo Chen’s attention was on something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Soul-Breaking Nail is actually a high-grade magic tool!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand was a pair of heavy, pitch-black long nails, with sharp front ends and large, heavy back ends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both long nails carried a rich scent of blood, and wisps of blood-red color, hidden in the black, were a bit creepy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continuously injected magic power, and the Soul-Breaking Nail buzzed, then suddenly flew out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chi!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Soul-Breaking Nail, with lightning speed, sank into a large rock in front of the small courtyard, deep and bottomless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually this sharp!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If nothing goes wrong, it must have a Armor-Breaking Formation engraved on it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic tools had grades: high, mid, and low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The standard for determining the grade was the number and quality of the engraved formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This pair of Soul-Breaking Nails only had one formation engraved, but the Armor-Breaking Formation was a second-order formation, so its power was incredibly great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder I was severely injured without any power to fight back at that time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to the short-lived ghost’s words before he died, even Wang Yuan couldn't defend against it, which shows that the armor-breaking attribute has reached the extreme among magic tools.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yuan was no weakling; before transitioning to the immortal path, he was a Grandmaster of secular martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stepping onto the path of cultivation, he had killed countless people and demonic beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High realm, strong practical combat ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the short-lived ghost could injure Wang Yuan at the fifth layer of Qi Refining was truly thanks to the Soul-Breaking Nail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, the drawbacks seem very obvious too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Releasing one Soul-Breaking Nail actually consumed half of my spiritual power. If both were fired at once, wouldn't I be instantly drained of all spiritual power?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen continuously urged his spiritual power, but the Soul-Breaking Nail inside the large rock remained motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No return!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pros and cons of this high-grade magic tool were simply too obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Armor-breaking ability could be called top-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic power consumption was huge, and it couldn't be controlled; once fired, it couldn't be summoned back with magic power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only because the material was hard enough that it wouldn't be easily damaged; otherwise, it could be considered a one-time consumable magic tool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps that was exactly why, despite having a second-order formation engraved, it could only be a high-grade magic tool, not the legendary top-grade magic tool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Chen broke the rock, dug out the Soul-Breaking Nail, and happily put it into the storage bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No return isn't really a drawback for me, because I never learned the Traction Technique anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Compared to that rusty low-grade magic sword from before, this is like upgrading from a bird gun to a cannon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of joy, Luo Chen returned to the room and lit a stick of Soul-Calming Incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the orchid-and-musk-like fragrance, his restless soul gradually became peaceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sense of comfort from the depths of his soul almost made him moan out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Luo Chen didn't have time to enjoy it; he seized the time to run the Changchun Technique.\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 on top of the original foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on Luo Chen’s original limit of two to three times, he could now run the Changchun Technique eight times!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the concept of eight times?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One time restored 20% of spiritual power; eight times was 160%, enough to release thirty-two Fireball Techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be said that the value of the Soul-Calming Incense in this haul was second only to the storage bag and the Soul-Breaking Nail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was higher than that low-grade magic robe, that bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills, and other things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this box of Soul-Calming Incense allowed him to practice multiple times, refreshing the proficiency of the Changchun Technique, and could also be used to brush up the proficiency of other skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I have money in the future, not only will I buy a house, but I will also buy lots and lots of Soul-Calming Incense!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing his practice, feeling that half of the magic power consumed by releasing the Soul-Breaking Nail just now had recovered a small half, Luo Chen sighed with emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the emotion, under the quiet, peaceful, and focused state brought by the Soul-Calming Incense, he recalled the situation of that night ten days ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be said that for the past ten days, he had been recalling it almost all the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in his dreams, the scene had been replayed several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the first time he had faced death since he transmigrated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Constant recollection wasn't because of fear, but because he wanted to remember the situation at that time to prevent facing such things again in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the help of the Soul-Calming Incense, Luo Chen suddenly realized that he could have actually handled that battle better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Soul-Breaking Nail was fast, but he had practiced the Carefree Travel, so he could have completely tried to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he couldn't dodge, he wouldn't have been so severely injured, almost dying on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the enemy was in a terrible state at the time; what if he had struck first?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he have caught the other party off guard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strike first to gain the advantage, strike later to suffer disaster; he was still indecisive and held onto luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even during the later head-on battle, there were great shortcomings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the third fireball had already broken the other party’s defense, and he only needed to add at most two more fireballs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in his excitement, he had squandered all his magic power in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much so that after that, he had no combat power at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just good luck that he met Wang Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he had met someone else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would others also know him? Would they also let him go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heh, even if it were someone he knew, I’m afraid they would be tempted too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assets of two Qi Refining cultivators could definitely be considered a rich harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My combat experience is really too little!\" ===== CHAPTER 19 =====\u003C\u002Fp>",1642,"2026-06-12T10:35:51.239Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","9f872ff0b17daeec290e875f94df22b47a7315e2398c60fe8a958e593b5f548a","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-19","immortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-chapter-17",1090,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortality-begins-from-an-alchemy-grandmaster-cover.jpg"]