Rise of the Alchemy God

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Ever since Ethan decided to enter secluded cultivation once again, one of the tasks he had resolved to complete beforehand was ensuring that the Peng family could stand on their own, even in his absence.

Training several skilled alchemists was one step toward maintaining dominance in this side of the Sun City's market.

However, Ethan knew it wouldn't be enough on its own.

For now, their rivals had retreated, aware that an alchemist of his caliber was backing the Peng family.

But Ethan understood that as soon as they realized he was absent for an extended period, they would undoubtedly resurface.

Ethan had already secured the favor of two Grandmaster Alchemists from the empire.

This alone provided his business with a layer of protection from competing forces.

However, Ethan knew such favor wouldn't last forever, and he intended to address this issue.

"Don't you think it's time to start cultivating again?" Ethan asked, looking at the elderly figure of the Peng family patriarch, who stared back with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" the old man asked, perplexed by the sudden question.

He assumed Ethan already knew about his bottleneck, which had kept him from progressing in cultivation.

Normally, he might have thought Ethan had a solution, but considering his age, the patriarch understood it was likely too late to make up for his lost time.

Ethan didn't reply immediately. Instead, he took out a small vial containing a single gray pill with spiral patterns etched onto its surface.

The patriarch's eyes widened at the sight of the pill as he immediately recognized what it was.

"Wait... Is that what I think it is?" he asked, recalling news from a few months back about the miraculous pill that could rejuvenate a person.

Based on the limited information he had gathered through his contacts, the pill's creator had participated in the Imperial Alchemy Tournament and sold the final product at auction for an exorbitant price.

If memory served him correctly, the pill was called...

"The Pill of Eternal Youth," he muttered in astonishment.

The longer he looked at it, the more certain he became of its identity.

"Wait... So you're the creator of the pill?" he asked, piecing things together.

The patriarch knew the auctioned pill had already been purchased, but he also knew that the alchemist assisting his family had participated in the tournament and achieved impressive results.

That had led to the Sun City's factions ceasing all pressure on the Peng family.

Although he had found their behavior strange, he lacked the full picture.

Now, seeing this pill, he realized the truth and understood everything.

Ethan simply nodded and tossed the vial to the old man, who nearly had a heart attack.

He leaped up with surprising speed to catch the vial before it could hit the ground.

"What's the meaning of this?" the patriarch asked, still bewildered.

"I'm giving it to you. It's time you regained your strength and resumed cultivating. After all, the Peng family still needs you," Ethan said nonchalantly.

The old man hesitated. He understood the value of such an object.

For him, Ethan's efforts in training alchemists for the Peng family were already an incredible gesture.

Accepting this pill left him uncertain of how he could ever repay Ethan.

Before he could voice his doubts, Ethan spoke again.

"Don't worry. Producing more of these pills isn't a problem for me. I'm giving you this so you can protect your family a little longer.

That stubborn Da Shu, is still too weak.

He needs more time to reach a level where he can replace you. Until then, I hope you'll continue to guide and protect him," Ethan explained.

Ethan had considered ways to help Da Shu improve more quickly.

However, unless he sent Da Shu into his minor dimension to cultivate, there was no way for him to advance to the fifth stage in a short time.

Ethan had already allowed Feng Hang to use his minor dimension and didn't want to introduce anyone else for the moment.

Instead, he intended to ensure Da Shu could cultivate quickly in the outside world while he himself retreated for a year of secluded cultivation in the minor dimension.

That year in the real world was equivalent to almost a hundred years in the minor dimension.

He estimated it would be enough time to reach the pinnacle of the fifth stage and perhaps even surpass it.

The true challenge would come after reaching the peak.

As this was his first time, Ethan wasn't sure how long it would take to break into the Spiritual Realm.

He also suspected the system wouldn't assist him this time.

Eventually the patriarch gave in and accepted the pill.

Ethan quickly set up a formation around the area to ensure nothing could disturb the absorption process.

Once prepared, Peng Yun, now seated in the spacious hall of his manor, took the pill and began the process of absorption.

Among the many benefits of this pill, one was its ability to grant an additional 500 years of life to its user.

The patriarch, already over a hundred years old, would not have lived beyond 300 years with his current cultivation.

However, with this pill, he would regain much of his lost vitality and add several centuries to his lifespan.

The time required to fully absorb the pill varied between cultivators.

Typically, it took only a few hours to complete the process, and Indeed, after three hours, visible changes began to manifest.

The temperature of the patriarch's body rose as black beads of sweat began forming on his skin.

These were impurities that had accumulated in his body over the years and were now being expelled.

For most cultivators, impurities ceased to accumulate significantly after the body-refining stage.

However, due to his stagnant cultivation, the patriarch's body had continued to accumulate them over time.

Ethan watched as the process unfolded, from the initial purification to the rejuvenation of the patriarch's organs, followed by the shedding of old skin to reveal a fresh, healthy layer beneath.

In essence, the patriarch was undergoing a metamorphosis similar to that of a snake shedding its skin.

The entire process took seven hours.

At one point, Da Shu arrived, drawn by the fluctuations in the area, and witnessed the transformation.

Boom!

At the end of the seven hours, the patriarch's stagnant cultivation base surged, leaping several levels to the peak of his current stage, just a step away from reaching the fourth stage.

He had finally broken through his bottleneck and fully absorbed the pill.

Where once an elderly man had sat cross-legged on the ground, now stood a youthful figure who appeared no older than thirty.