Hello readers! I translate IBIB, but today I want to give a shoutout to my fellow Daoist's novel, APTE. APTE drops us into a fully realized cultivation world. After transmigrating, Luo Chen ends up at Dahe Market, a bustling hub for rogue cultivators. Instead of a powerful legacy or heaven-defying treasure, he inherits a mess and one marketable skill: refining fasting concoctions, a product so low-end it isn’t even ranked. He does have a status panel tracking his cultivation, techniques, and crafting proficiency, along with achievement points to improve himself. From there, it’s all about Luo Chen clawing his way up, honing his alchemy, and trying to survive in the market alongside a stingy old talisman master. 

IBIB and APTE definitely give off the same energy. Both MCs are modern-day transmigrators with hidden systems, both end up in weak, disadvantaged bodies with no powerful clan backing them, and both have to claw their way up from absolutely nothing. The openings are surprisingly similar too. Both protagonists start out hustling for basic income in rundown outer districts that the authors lovingly describe as smelling like sewage, poverty, and despair. Neither series hands out easy wins. Their systems reward consistency, effort, and hard work rather than free power-ups.

At their core, both stories are about grinding your way toward immortality instead of being spoon-fed success. The whole "I need to stretch every spirit stone as far as possible" mentality is basically identical in both novels.

Unlike IBIB, APTE presents a different setup of the world, leaning more toward xianxia from the start, while IBIB feels more rooted in wuxia. Instead of body training like Lin Zheyu, the MC focuses on alchemy. What sets it apart is its perspective. Much of the early story is seen through a small business owner, with a strong focus on his finances such as rent, ingredients, and pill costs. Spirit stones are a constant concern. The funny thing is that Luo Chen even compares his past life grinding mobile xianxia games to his current life refining pills. Transmigration didn’t save him from the grind, it just changed it.

At least from what I’ve seen other xianxia novels treat alchemy like sacred art and there isn’t much that deep dive into the alchemy aspect of things. Thus, you get a full view of how alchemy is like firsthand in APTE. Also, a funny part is that he makes a blue pill that's red in his world lol. To be honest, I’m not sure if I should say if that's smart or dumb because at the lower reaches of the cultivation world the myth of not breaking your virginity is somewhat held for cultivators to cultivate so I find that kinda funny?

Overall, APTE was a really fun read for me. What I enjoyed most wasn't the fights or the power-ups, but watching Luo Chen slowly build everything from the ground up. Every breakthrough feels earned, every spirit stone matters, and every bit of progress comes from planning, effort, and persistence. If you enjoy xianxia with strong progression, detailed alchemy, and a protagonist who actually has to work for his success, I'd definitely recommend giving APTE a shot.

Here’s the link to it: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/novel/alchemists-path-to-eternity