The Dao of Reincarnation (73-75) (Patreon)

Chapter 73: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Part 1)

Su Chen felt both delight and disappointment at the sight of 7000 Reverse Fate Points. Born into a declining sacred clan in this life, and without Lin Zhan's interference, leading to an untimely death before his lifespan ran out, his evaluation might have been even higher.

"People with great destiny are really damn hard to kill!"

The thought slipped through Su Chen's mind unbidden. Even as his enemy, he had to admit that his repeated targeting would have crushed any ordinary person a hundred times over. Yet Lin Zhan not only refused to collapse or give up—he transformed step by step until he finally became a saint.

Losing to someone like that didn't feel entirely unjust. Still, fair or not, Su Chen had no desire to encounter another person blessed with such an immense destiny ever again.

[Talent: 0 (+)][Comprehension: 0 (+)][Family Background: 0 (+)][Dao Heart: 300]

With 7000 Reverse Fate Points in hand, Su Chen glanced at Background… and added 100 points. That should at least keep him from spawning straight into an early grave. He poured the remaining 6900 points evenly into Talent and Comprehension, 3450 each. Then he turned the page and entered his next reincarnation.

…

Endless blue sky stretched above white clouds. A breeze swept low across the grass, revealing grazing cattle and sheep.

Su Chen opened his eyes and stared blankly. He looked down at the coarse hemp robe covering his body and felt the complete absence of any spiritual Qi within him.

What the hell? He had reincarnated as an ordinary mortal?

He hurriedly searched the new memories to figure out exactly what kind of situation he had landed in this time. At the very least, he had invested 100 points into Background—he refused to believe it was all for nothing.

In this life… he had been an abandoned infant left at the doorstep of a lonely old widower. The kind-hearted elder had taken him in and raised him. Notably, his name remained exactly the same as in his first life: Su Chen. Nothing had changed. The old man raised Su Chen to adulthood and turned him into a simple cowherd.

Su Chen: "…"

Starting as a cowherd?

Despite the less-than-ideal beginning, he quickly adjusted his mindset. In his previous life, he had been a Nirvana Realm Venerable after all. He possessed absolute confidence that even starting as a mortal, he could still rise to become a supreme powerhouse!

"The Gu clan techniques from my past life can't be cultivated again."

He had no idea whether that final self-detonation of the saint weapon had killed Lin Zhan. If it hadn't, and Lin Zhan discovered him practicing the Gu clan technique, he would immediately face a saint right from the start. The thought alone was despairing.

He casually selected a sovereign-grade technique from his mind and began to cultivate.

Time passed quickly. In less than three hours, Su Chen successfully broke through to the first layer of the Spirit Awakening Realm.

The speed was astonishing. Ordinary geniuses usually need several years just to enter the Spirit Awakening Realm. Even in his previous life, with the help of the ancient clan's treasures and the Heavenly Origin Body constitution, it had still taken him a full day.

Yet Su Chen remained unsatisfied. Given sufficient resources, he was certain he could reach the Spirit Gathering Realm within three days. Unfortunately, right now he was dirt poor.

As the sky began to darken, Su Chen had no choice but to herd the cattle back home. When he reached the village entrance, a clear, bright voice called out to him.

"Brother Chen, Mother made fish soup. She asked me to bring you some."

A pretty young girl with twin ponytails stood at the village entrance holding a steaming bowl of fish soup. The moment she spotted Su Chen, her face lit up with a pure, innocent smile.

Su Chen also recalled the girl's name from his memories.

The girl was called Wang Fang, nicknamed Ah Fang. She was the daughter of the neighboring Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang. The two families had lived side by side for years, and the couple had often looked after Su Chen and the old man. He and Ah Fang had grown up together and could be considered childhood sweethearts.

Su Chen accepted the bowl of fish soup. It had already cooled somewhat. He did not drink it down in one go; instead, he simply thanked Ah Fang. As her figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Ah Fang stood there in a daze.

Today's Brother Chen felt different. He had returned later than usual, but more than that, something had changed. The timid, self-conscious boy she once knew seemed to have been replaced by a powerful, unshakable presence.

Back inside the dilapidated thatched hut, the room was messy and dim. Su Chen set the fish soup on the table and glanced around, but saw no sign of the old man.

Suddenly his entire body stiffened. A figure had appeared silently behind him without the slightest sound, causing his heart to skip a beat. To approach so close and evade his senses completely—this was the unmistakable application of the power of heaven and earth. The intruder was at least at the Spirit Soul Realm!

"It's Chen'er who's back."

The familiar, aged voice came from behind. Only then did Su Chen let out a long breath of relief. He turned around.

At the doorway stood a hunched old man leaning on a cane. His hair was snow-white, his face deeply wrinkled, and one eye was blind. This was Su Weichang—the man who had found the infant Su Chen abandoned in the snow and raised him as his own grandson. In his memories, Su Weichang had always been an ordinary old man.

Now, Su Chen understood: those 100 points invested in Background had not been wasted.

"Old man, this is the fish soup Aunt Wang made. Ah Fang asked me to bring it for you to taste."

Supporting the old man with one hand, Su Chen helped him sit on a stool. Su Weichang smiled and said, "Little Ah Fang is thoughtful. So are you, boy. Sit down and drink the soup with me."

Su Chen fetched two chipped bowls. Grandfather and grandson divided the fish soup between them.

After they finished, Su Weichang savored the aftertaste for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"Chen'er, Ah Fang is truly a fine girl. If you marry her, she will surely be a virtuous wife and loving mother. She has feelings for you."

Su Chen fell silent. Of course, he knew. Yet he continued to feign ignorance. "Old man, Ah Fang is a very good girl. But what I want is not romantic attachments. I'm afraid I would only hold her back."

Su Weichang gave a faint smile. "What I once imagined was this: you would spend your whole life with Ah Fang. The two of you would have a big, healthy son, perhaps a few daughters too. You would live happily, surrounded by grandchildren, and pass your hundred years in peace.

"You would never step into the world of cultivation. You would never face deceit and betrayal. You would never witness endless life-and-death partings. You would never endure the torment of immortality."

Su Chen remained quiet for a long moment before replying, "But that is not what I want."

Now he understood why, despite such excellent aptitude and comprehension in this life, the old man had never taught him to cultivate.

Su Weichang's gaze dimmed. "I always knew this day would come. Your talent is the greatest I have ever seen in my life—and precisely because of that, I never wanted you to walk the path of cultivation.

"Never mind… never mind… Fate is fate. You have chosen this road after all. Since your mind is made up, I will not try to persuade you any longer."

Su Chen was surprised by how readily the old man accepted his decision.

"Chen'er…" Su Weichang said quietly, "… Do you want to learn alchemy?"

Chapter 74: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Part 2)

Alchemy? The old man was actually an alchemist?

Su Chen was genuinely surprised. In this world, alchemists enjoyed extremely high status and were by far the wealthiest profession, without exception. Still, to avoid revealing anything unusual, he played dumb and asked anyway.

"Alchemy… that's the most revered profession in the world. Once you become an alchemist, power, status, beauties—everything becomes within reach."

Speaking of alchemy, Su Weichang's face lit up with pride.

Su Chen was curious. "Old man, since you're an alchemist, why are you still living in this remote corner?"

At the question, Su Weichang's expression darkened.

"That matter… if the time comes, you'll understand naturally."

And so Su Chen began learning alchemy under Su Weichang. His physique in this life was called the Seven Apertures Exquisite Body—a supreme enlightened constitution that made learning anything twice as effective with half the effort.

"Chen'er, alchemy is an extremely difficult art. Even the most ordinary first-grade alchemist cannot be achieved overnight."

After Su Chen broke through to the Spirit Gathering Realm, Su Weichang led him to a certain mountain peak. From beneath the earth, he unearthed a long-hidden alchemy cauldron—pitch-black, covered in rust, and looking thoroughly dilapidated.

Su Chen couldn't help asking, "Old man, can this black pot really refine pills?"

Although Su Chen was not an alchemist himself, across several lifetimes, he had seen plenty of them. The cauldron was the lifeblood of any alchemist—its single most important possession. He had never seen anyone use such a… wretched-looking furnace.

Su Weichang smiled. "As the saying goes, true experts never complain about their tools. A genuine alchemist can turn anything in heaven and earth into a cauldron."

Su Chen nodded.

Sure, old man. I believe you.

This crafty geezer was full of nonsense, spouting serious-sounding nonsense.

Su Chen strongly suspected the old man had pawned or sold his real cauldron for wine during retirement and was now improvising with whatever junk he could find.

Su Weichang gave a faint smile. Flames suddenly wreathed his body, coiling into eight fiery dragons that encircled the cauldron in every direction. With a casual toss, he threw in several medicinal herbs. The ingredients instantly liquefied, took shape inside the furnace, and in mere moments condensed into round, lustrous pills—top-quality first-grade ones.

Su Chen was stunned. Judging from that technique alone, the old man was at least a fourth-grade alchemist.

"This is my signature art—the Eight Desolations Alchemy Method. I once thought it would be lost forever, carried with me into the grave. Looks like it's your good fortune now, kid."

Su Weichang sighed with emotion. His lifespan was nearing its end. He had originally hoped to live out a simple, ordinary life together with Su Chen. But once Su Chen stepped onto the path of cultivation, that ordinary life was no longer possible. No one who had tasted the pursuit of immortality would willingly abandon it and return to mundanity.

Su Chen carefully replayed the old man's pill-refining technique in his mind. Wisps of deep blue flame appeared in his palm, splitting into eight directions just like the Eight Desolations method. He placed the prepared herbs inside.

One day later, Su Chen looked at the pills that had formed in the cauldron.

Su Weichang stared at them too.

Su Chen sighed. "Alchemy doesn't seem all that difficult after all."

His very first attempt had succeeded.

Su Weichang said nothing. He simply vanished from Su Chen's sight, disappearing who-knows-where.

For the next several days, Su Chen did not see the old man at all. During that time, he focused entirely on refining pills. In just three days, he successfully produced second-grade ones. With pills to aid him, his cultivation speed soared.

Another week passed. While continuing to refine and consume pills, Su Chen reached the fourth layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm. The stock of medicinal herbs left by the old man finally ran out. Su Chen had no choice but to descend the mountain in search of more.

At the foot of the mountain, he suddenly frowned. The faint scent of blood hung in the air. Su Chen was extremely sensitive to the smell of bloodshed.

"Something's happened in the village!"

In this life, the villagers had often helped both him and the old man. Su Chen genuinely felt goodwill toward these simple, kind-hearted people. Sensing danger in the village, he wasted no time and hurried straight toward it.

Inside the village…

Just as Su Chen had expected, a band of mounted bandits had wandered into the area and discovered the village. Their leader was a brutal giant of a man with a bald head and a hideous centipede-like scar crawling across his face. He gripped a nine-ringed broadsword nearly as tall as a man; fresh blood still dripped from its edge.

The villagers trembled in terror. These bandits were all martial cultivators. The ordinary villagers stood no chance and could only await slaughter.

"Boss, we've got a pretty little thing here!"

One of the horse-faced underlings yanked a delicate young girl by the hair, leering obscenely.

"Ah Fang!"

The son of Old Ox the fool spotted Ah Fang being seized and charged forward without a second thought, desperate to fight the horse-faced man to the death. A single kick sent him flying into a nearby haystack, where he lay motionless.

"Pah! Playing the hero to save the beauty? Know your own weight first!"

The horse-faced thug burst into mocking laughter.

Ah Fang fell into despair. Captured by these demonic bandits, she knew nothing but unimaginable torment awaited her.

The horse-faced man's laughter cut off abruptly. He clutched his throat as blood sprayed outward, splattering across Ah Fang's body.

The blood was scalding hot. The horse-faced thug collapsed dead.

The horrifying scene left Ah Fang frozen in shock. It also put the remaining bandits on high alert. The scarred leader turned his gaze to a single leaf—stained with fresh blood.

"This leaf… killed Horse-face?"

The others stared in disbelief.

The giant raised his nine-ringed broadsword, shook it a few times, and called out into the empty air: "Who are you, sir? Why interfere and kill my brothers from the Horse-Head Stronghold for the sake of these villagers?"

No answer came.

In the next instant, a youth leaped down from above and landed lightly on the ground. When the villagers saw who it was, shock and incredulity filled their faces.

Ah Fang stared wide-eyed at the youth standing before her.

"Brother Chen?"

Su Chen nodded calmly. "It's me."

With a casual gesture, he drew the broadsword from the dead horse-faced thug's grip into his own hand and turned his gaze toward the remaining bandits.

That look sent an icy chill through the battle-hardened bandit leader's bones. It reminded him of years ago, back when he had still been a soldier before deserting. He had once glimpsed a great figure of immense power.

The gaze of that figure… was exactly the same as this youth's. Utter indifference. As though the two of them existed on entirely different planes of reality.

"Run… I have to run…"

In that single moment, the ruthless bandit leader—who had killed countless men—was utterly broken. He spurred his horse and fled without looking back.

Seeing their boss bolt, the other bandits tried to follow. But they were far too weak in front of Su Chen. Like shadows, he moved among them, cutting them down one after another.

Su Chen casually mounted one of the abandoned horses and set off after the fleeing leader.

When cutting weeds, one must remove the roots.

Chapter 75: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Part 3)

Horse-Head Stronghold.

The stronghold's master was a Spirit Vein Realm expert who had dominated Horse-Head Mountain for fifty or sixty years. His infamous reputation preceded him.

"It's Seventh Chief! Seventh Chief is back! Every time he returns, he comes loaded with loot!"

The gate guards spotted the bald giant riding up and shouted in excitement.

The gates swung open. The moment the bald man entered, his face twisted in terror. He yelled in panic, "Close the gates… hurry, close them!"

The two guards looked puzzled. "Seventh Chief, aren't we waiting for the brothers?"

They saw only him—no one else.

"They're dead… all of them are dead… Close the gates… close them now!"

The bald man seemed half out of his mind, muttering the same frantic command over and over.

Though confused, the guards obeyed without delay. But as they moved to shut the gates, they realized a youth in coarse hemp robes had appeared at the entrance at some point. When the bald man saw him, he reacted as though he had seen a ghost—his legs buckled, he tumbled from the saddle, and he clawed desperately backward across the ground, trying to put any distance between himself and the youth.

"Who are you? Why have you come to my Horse-Head Stronghold?"

Sensing danger, one guard stepped forward to block Su Chen while the other frantically rang the alarm bell. Shouts erupted throughout the stronghold.

Enemy attack!

Su Chen made no move to stop them. He waited until they finished, then his figure flickered. Two heads flew into the air, bodies collapsing in separate heaps. Until their final breath, the guards' eyes remained wide with disbelief and confusion.

With the stronghold now fully alerted, a faint, indifferent smile touched Su Chen's lips. "Good. Better to settle it all at once—saves the trouble of hunting them down one by one."

Seeing the stronghold master appear, the bald man reached toward his leader like a drowning man grasping for salvation, desperate to cry for help.

The next instant, his head exploded.

"Seventh Brother!"

The remaining chiefs roared in fury at the sight of their comrade's death. "No matter who you are, if you dare kill one of our chiefs, you will pay with your life!"

If they let this youth walk away, how could Horse-Head Stronghold ever show its face on the roads again? The stronghold's chiefs were no weaklings. Even the lowest stood at Spirit Gathering Realm, while the strongest—the master himself—was a Spirit Vein Realm powerhouse.

Facing the encirclement, Su Chen stood motionless. He simply rested one hand on the broadsword he carried and slowly drew his fingers along the blade. To everyone watching, time seemed to stretch and slow to a crawl.

Five swift strokes claimed the lives of five chiefs in succession. The final remaining chief—the great chief—managed to block the sixth strike with frantic speed. He opened his mouth to speak, only to meet the youth's gaze. A chill of dread surged through him.

"Not good!"

An ominous premonition gripped him. He braced to defend himself, but it was too fast—far too fast. Even as a Spirit Vein Realm expert, he had no chance to react. The cold gleam of the blade sliced straight toward his head.

"Intent… sword intent…"

Until the moment of death, the great chief never understood how they had provoked a cultivator who had comprehended sword intent.

With every chief of Horse-Head Stronghold slain, the rest of the bandits fell beneath Su Chen's blade as well.

Once the threat was eliminated, Su Chen began looting the spoils. Decades of plunder had accumulated treasures worth at least a hundred thousand gold coins. Among the haul were also captives the bandits had seized. Su Chen set them free without harm.

As he explored deeper into an underground chamber, Su Chen frowned and turned to leave—only to be stopped by a low, hoarse voice.

"Young hero… I am the City Lord of South Mountain City. My subordinates betrayed me, and I was captured by Horse-Head Stronghold. If you release me, Nangong Tao swears to repay you handsomely!"

Su Chen paused, then turned back. He unbound and freed the middle-aged man who had clearly endured severe torture.

"Thank you, benefactor. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Nangong Tao spoke with deep gratitude. He had thought death was certain—never expecting rescue at the last moment.

"Su Chen."

When Nangong Tao saw the corpses littering the stronghold outside—even the dreaded Horse-Head Stronghold master lay dead—shock gripped his heart. All of it had been the work of this youth named Su Chen. A prodigy like this could only be befriended, never offended.

Seeing Su Chen about to leave, Nangong Tao hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Benefactor, this is my identity token. If you ever have any request, simply bring this waist token to South Mountain City and find me!"

Nangong Tao fumbled for a moment and produced a jade plaque. He had guarded it carefully; even the bandits had never discovered it.

Su Chen accepted the token and departed without another word. Back in the village, under the setting sun, the villagers finally breathed sighs of relief when they saw Su Chen return unharmed.

"The Horse-Head Stronghold has been dealt with. No more bandits will trouble us."

Su Chen spoke calmly to the gathered crowd. The villagers stood frozen, at a loss. In front of Su Chen now, gratitude mingled with a faint undercurrent of fear. No one dared speak to him as casually as they once had.

"Brother Chen… are you really a martial cultivator?"

Ah Fang gathered her courage and asked.

Su Chen nodded. The young girl's heart was filled with complicated emotions.

That night, Su Weichang finally returned.

Su Chen did not ask where the old man had been. He simply continued studying alchemy under his guidance. Three full years passed in this way.

Three years later.

Su Weichang looked at Su Chen and said, "Chen'er, you have already mastered the Eight Desolations Alchemy Method completely, and you have surpassed your master. There is nothing more I can teach you. Shallow waters cannot hold a true dragon. You will leave the Dragon Firmament Dynasty and step into a far broader world. Your talent is the greatest I have witnessed in my entire life."

Su Chen asked quietly, "Old man, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Su Weichang gave a faint smile. "In my youth, I was full of ambition and pride, never imagining there were always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens. A single gambling match cost me everything. If I have one true wish… it is that if the day ever comes, you will go to Central Continent for me. Go and witness the grand flourishing of alchemy! If the Eight Desolations Alchemy Method appears in that grand era of pill refinement, even in the underworld, I would laugh until my mouth split open."

Su Chen replied solemnly, "Old man, that day will come."

Su Weichang seemed to recall something. He reached into his robes and pulled out a longevity lock engraved with dragon-and-phoenix patterns and the character "Su."

"This was left with you when I found you. It may be connected to your origins. It is no ordinary object."

Su Chen took the longevity lock, inwardly startled. The material used to craft it was extremely rare aurora stone—something even the Gu clan of his previous life possessed only in small quantities.

After entrusting his final words, Su Weichang vanished from Su Chen's sight forever. Su Chen understood it was time for him to leave this place and venture into a wider world.