Chapter 1 : Dawn's Breath and Violet Aura

"Young Master, Third Elder summons you."

The maidservant called softly from a short distance away, her demeanor tinged with apprehension.

Eldrin Chen sat cross-legged upon a massive boulder at the cliff's edge, his eyes closed as he inhaled and exhaled the morning's rosy glow, continuously nurturing the wisp of Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme, foundational energy of creation and chaos] within his chest.

"Has the hour of the Dragon [the period from seven to nine AM] arrived already?"

He murmured to himself, then added, "Go inform Third Elder that I shall be there shortly."

After the maidservant departed, Eldrin Chen continued until he had absorbed the final strand of dawn light before slowly concluding his cultivation session.

Fifteen years had passed since his rebirth into this world. Each dawn and dusk, he would come to this place to absorb the essence of the Sun and Moon [the celestial bodies, whose light is imbued with potent spiritual energy], transforming it into Primordial Chaos Violet Aura.

This cultivation art of devouring the dawn's breath was named the Primordial Chaos Scripture. He had stumbled upon it in a market stall in his previous life. After crossing into this world, it became the supreme method that altered his Destiny [the predetermined course of one's life and cultivation path].

The Primordial Chaos Scripture could convert the essence of dawn and Moonlight Essence [the refined spiritual power contained within moonlight] into Primordial Chaos Creation Violet Aura [the purest form of violet aura, embodying the power of primordial creation]. This wisp of Violet Aura possessed miraculous, boundless uses. Among those he had discovered so far was its wondrous ability to enhance the quality of one's Spiritual Root [the innate conduit within a cultivator that determines their aptitude for absorbing spiritual energy].

He possessed Five Spiritual Roots [the lowest grade of spiritual root aptitude, representing chaotic and inefficient energy absorption], which was considered extremely poor talent. However, he was born with an innate wisp of Primordial Chaos Creation Violet Aura, which had elevated his aptitude to rival that of someone with Three Spiritual Roots [a mid-grade spiritual root, representing decent cultivation talent]. Dive deeper into the Dao at audio-novel dot com.

Eldrin Chen understood deeply that this cultivation method was the greatest opportunity of his life. For over a decade, he had practiced it diligently without pause, painstakingly absorbing the essence of dawn's rosy clouds and the moon's silvery light to accumulate Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme, primordial energy of creation and chaos]. He had never revealed it before anyone.

He was even unwilling to let others know his true Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation determining a cultivator's elemental affinity and potential], claiming only to possess Dual Spiritual Root [a spiritual root with two elemental affinities] talent.

In this life, his family background was quite favorable. The Chen Clan was a minor cultivation clan, with over one hundred cultivators among its members and a Foundation Establishment Stage [the realm where a cultivator solidifies their spiritual foundation] Patriarch presiding over it.

Although it might be insignificant when viewed across the vast world, within the tens of thousands of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] radius of Yu County, the clan's words still carried considerable weight.

As the most outstanding talent among the younger generation of the Chen Clan, he had been burdened with great expectations since childhood. He did not disappoint, astonishingly breaking through to the Vital Essence Refinement 7th Tier [the seventh level of the initial cultivation stage] at the mere age of fifteen—a feat comparable to many old cultivators who had practiced for decades.

In contrast, the vast majority of his peers, at this age, would have barely reached the first or second tier of Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines their vital energy].

Most cultivators laid their foundations before the age of ten, began formal cultivation around eleven or twelve, and only reached the mid-to-late stages of Vital Essence Refinement through relentless, grinding effort by their forties or fifties.

Because of his awakened past-life wisdom, he had begun Vital Essence Refinement at three years old. This granted him eight or nine extra years of the most precious cultivation time, allowing his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. It was this advantage that enabled him to cultivate to the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the advanced phase of the foundational cultivation stage] just three months prior.

After his breakthrough to the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage, he received increased attention from the clan. His status within the Chen Clan had risen significantly, marking his initial entry into the ranks of the clan's upper echelon.

Gathering his wandering thoughts, Eldrin Chen stood up and made his way towards the Clan Affairs Hall of the Third Elder.

The Cangyuan Mountain Range spans thousands of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. Its main peak, Green Chariot Peak, is one of the few Spirit Mountain [mountains rich in spiritual energy] within the entire Yu County. The mountain contains a Second Rank Mid-Grade Spiritual Vein [a subterranean channel that concentrates and emits spiritual energy]. It is said that for centuries, this was the territory of a Second Rank [a classification for powerful demonic beasts] demon beast known as the Green Ape.

Later, an ancestor of the Chen Clan slew the beast, seized this precious land with its Spiritual Vein, took wives and concubines, and founded this immortal cultivation clan.

Across the entire Green Chariot Mountain, the density of spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and the world] varies. It is thinner at the foothills and grows richer towards the summit. Most clan cultivators below the Vital Essence Refinement 6th Tier [the sixth stage of refining one's vital life force] have carved their cultivation abodes into the mountainside.

Further up are the seventeen Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spiritual Field [fields nourished by spiritual energy for growing rare plants] opened by the Chen Clan, along with the main clan hall. The location of the Spiritual Vein's springhead, within the Hinter Peaks, is reserved for the cultivation of the clan patriarch.

The Third Elder, Lior Chen, who oversees the clan's daily affairs, resides in the Clan Affairs Hall situated at the mountain's peak.

As soon as Eldrin Chen entered the Clan Affairs Hall, he sensed the atmosphere was amiss. A heavy silence filled the great hall, where more than a dozen figures were seated.

"I pay my respects to the esteemed Granduncles, uncles."

Those present were all high-ranking members of the Chen Clan: the Third Elder, Lior Chen; the Fourth Elder, Verdant Destiny Chen; the Fifth Elder, Verdant Grace Chen. The remaining individuals were Granduncles from the Chang Generation [the generation bearing the character 'Chang' (Eternal) in their names]. From the Nian Generation [the generation bearing the character 'Nian' (Remembrance)], aside from himself, there was only one elder brother present.

Pursuing the Path, Everlasting Verdure, Remembering the Virtuous, Reflecting on Ancestors, Supporting Each Other, Revitalizing the Clan, Ascendant Immortal, Achieving Immortality.

This is the Sixteen-Character Clan Genealogy [a poetic verse dictating the generational naming order] of the Chen Clan. Passed down to the present day, aside from the clan patriarch, only six or seven individuals remain from the Chang Generation.

The Chen Clan has a total of seven Elders, all of them cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier from the Verdant Generation. Among them, the Grand Elder, Verdant Void Chen, is stationed in Pingyang County Town.

Pingyang County Town has a population of over one hundred thousand, all descendants of the Chen Clan bloodline. Every year, one or two of these mortals are born with a Spiritual Root [the innate potential to cultivate], becoming scions of the Chen Clan and forming the very foundation of the clan's legacy.

Mortals are considered prime nourishment for Demonic Cultivators [cultivators who use dark, forbidden arts] and the Demon Race. Therefore, to protect these clansmen, the Grand Elder rarely leaves Pingyang County Town unless absolutely necessary.

The Second Elder, Verdant River Chen, is occupied in Sunward Market, managing the clan's several shops and is thus unable to leave his post.

The seventh Elder, Verdant Origin Chen, is only thirty-one years old and possesses truly Extraordinary talent. However, having been accepted as a disciple into the Verdant Sun Sect, he is now considered only half a member of the clan and cannot fully attend to its affairs.

Seeing that the three Elders who could possibly attend had all arrived—aside from the Clan Leader who was in secluded meditation healing his wounds in the Hinter Peaks—Eldrin Chen sensed that something significant must have occurred. This content originates from @udio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.

As Eldrin Chen entered, the Elders nodded in acknowledgment. His breakthrough to the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage at the age of fifteen marked talent on par with even a Variant Spiritual Root [an exceptionally rare and powerful spiritual root]. Great hopes were placed upon him within the clan, for he held a significant chance of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future.

Lior Chen, presiding over the Clan Assembly, gave a particular nod, his stern demeanor softening with a rare hint of warmth.

"Eldrin, you are here."

"Now that everyone is assembled, I shall inform you all of the matter at hand."

Seeing that the dozen or so cultivators of the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the final phase of refining one's vital life force energy] who could attend from the clan had arrived, Lior Chen suppressed his smile, his expression clouding with worry.

Noting his expression, Eldrin Chen felt his heart sink slightly, already guessing the topic of this Clan Assembly. One year ago, Path Master Jiang of Heavenly Ruins Mountain [a mountain range known for its ancient ruins and spiritual energy] successfully refined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm]. Four pills were produced from that batch, and two were put up for auction.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was a treasure one could only hope to encounter, not seek out. At the time, the Chen Clan sold off a significant portion of its assets and even incurred substantial debts, ultimately spending over thirty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] to purchase one of those pills.

It was precisely because of this pill that the Clan Leader, Eternal Profound Chen, was ambushed by rivals. Fortunately, as a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment 7th Tier [the seventh level within the Foundation Establishment realm], he managed to fight his way out of the encirclement with the pill.

Although Eternal Profound Chen managed to slay one Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a practitioner who has solidified their cultivation foundation] in that battle, he himself suffered serious injuries. Since returning to Green Chariot Mountain [the spiritual mountain that serves as the Chen Clan's ancestral home], he had been in seclusion at the Spirit Spring [a spring imbued with concentrated spiritual energy] within the Hinter Peaks [the secluded rear peaks of Green Chariot Mountain]. His current condition remained unknown.

After the clan obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill, the choice of who would use it was critical. To attempt a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage [the realm where a cultivator solidifies their spiritual foundation], the candidate ideally should not be older than sixty years. Beyond that age, a cultivator's Vitality [the innate life force and vigor essential for cultivation] begins to wane. Even with the aid of the pill, the success rate typically falls below twenty percent.

Within the clan, seven cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the pinnacle of the Vital Essence Refinement realm] remained. Setting aside Verdant Origin Chen, who had joined a sect, the Grand Elder was already past seventy, the Second Elder, Verdant River Chen, was over sixty, and the Third Elder had damaged his foundational potential in a past battle, extinguishing any hope of a breakthrough.

Among the others, the Sixth Elder, Verdant Bud Chen, was an alchemist. His status and value to the clan surpassed that of the Fourth Elder and the Fifth Elder. In the end, he borrowed a large sum of Merits [a metaphysical "currency" representing good karma or virtuous deeds, often used within clans and sects] and secured the Foundation Establishment Pill.

For the past three months, Verdant Bud Chen had been in secluded cultivation, attempting his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. By now, regardless of success or failure, a result should have emerged. Seeing the Third Elder's worried expression once more, Eldrin Chen felt an involuntary dryness tighten his throat. For more chapters, visit audio–novel.com for the complete novel.