Chapter 2 : A Clan's Crushing Blow

This Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] was purchased with wealth accumulated by the clan over several decades. For its sake, even the clan patriarch suffered grievous injuries, and several of our Chang Generation grand-uncles at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement [the ninth stage of the initial cultivation stage] fell in its defense.

Should the Sixth Elder fail in his breakthrough, it would deal a crushing blow to the already struggling Chen Clan.

As anticipated, the Third Elder remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

"Cedric emerged from seclusion yesterday."

"He did not succeed in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm [the second major realm of cultivation, where one establishes a solid spiritual foundation]…"

As soon as Lior Chen finished speaking, the complexions of many present shifted dramatically. Even those who had braced themselves for this outcome found the confirmed news difficult to bear.

Grand-Uncle Chen Changqing, now one hundred and seven years of age, felt a sudden dizziness. A surge of rebellious blood rushed to his head; he spat out a mouthful of crimson and collapsed unconscious.

"Grand-Uncle!"

"Seventh Uncle…"

Chaos erupted in the hall. Everyone hurried to protect the grand-uncle's heart meridian before carrying him to his residence. Support the author by reading on www . audio-novel.com.

They had been occupied for One Shichen [a conventional time unit equal to two hours] before the group finally returned to the Clan Affairs Hall. By then, everyone's faces were pale, their expressions unsettled and their spirits visibly shaken.

The failure of Chen Cedric to achieve Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] was a devastating blow to the Chen Clan. This stroke of misfortune was profound. Not only had purchasing the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that significantly increases the chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] already strained the clan's resources to the breaking point, but protecting it had cost the lives of several great-uncles from the Chang Generation [the senior generation of the Chen Clan, whose names contain the character 'Chang'] who were at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the penultimate stage of the Qi Refinement Realm], and even the Clan Patriarch had been grievously wounded.

Now, with Chen Cedric's breakthrough attempt having failed, it meant that for the next thirty years, the Chen Clan would lack the capability to procure another Foundation Establishment Pill for the family.

Losing the means to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill meant the clan would be without a sufficient number of high-level cultivators to maintain its standing. Their income would shrink by nearly half almost overnight. For the cultivators of the Qing generation and the rising Nian Generation [the junior generation of the Chen Clan, whose names contain the character 'Nian'], this was nothing short of a catastrophic setback.

The Chen Clan now faced the very real threat of a generational gap it could not bridge, a slow decline into obscurity, ultimately vanishing from the world of cultivation altogether.

The assembled members exchanged heavy glances, throats dry and hearts laden with a leaden weight. Finally, the Third Elder, Lior Chen, swept his gaze across them and broke the silence.

"Even with the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, the chance of success typically does not exceed forty percent. Cedric's failure, while grievous, falls within the expected odds," he stated, his voice carrying the weary authority of one who has seen many hopes falter.

"Let us set that matter aside for now. We must take stock of the clan's current situation."

The Third Elder had long ago abandoned his own aspirations for Foundation Establishment after sustaining a serious injury years prior. Since then, he had dedicated himself to managing the clan's affairs with meticulous order.

Under his stewardship these past few years, the clan had just begun to show signs of recovery and renewed vigor. To encounter such a calamity now was a cruel twist of fate. A deep-seated worry etched his features as he continued to speak.

"To purchase the Foundation Establishment Pill [a rare elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm], we have taken on a loan of eight thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. The longer this debt lingers, the deeper the financial abyss grows. It must be repaid with all haste."

"The clan's annual expenditures are also considerable. A cultivator in the Qi Refinement, Early Stage [the initial stage of gathering and refining Qi] receives a stipend of two Spirit Stones per year. Those in the Qi Refinement, Mid Stage receive five, and those in the Qi Refinement, Late Stage receive ten."

"The Clan Patriarch's annual stipend is three hundred Spirit Stones, while the Elders receive thirty each. Currently, the clan has one hundred and six cultivators in total. Combined, the annual stipends amount to approximately nine hundred and thirty-seven Spirit Stones."

The Third Elder cleared his throat before continuing.

"Now, let us discuss the clan's income."

"Our primary sources of revenue are the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], the seventeen Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spirit Farmland [fields nourished by spiritual energy for growing rare herbs] on the mountain, the Spirit Lake Isle [an isle within a spirit-imbued lake], and the income from several shops within the Yuyang Market."

As the Third Elder spoke, Eldrin Chen gained his first true understanding of the clan's actual circumstances. This was his first such council since ascending to the clan's upper echelons.

Among these revenue streams, the Five Elements Essence was the most stable.

As the name implies, Five Elements Essence is the pure quintessential energy refined and expelled by cultivators possessing the Five Elements Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root affinity encompassing all five elemental forces].

This treasure is of great use to high-level cultivators, as it can elevate the grade of their Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally forged and soul-bound enchanted artifact]. Consequently, high-level cultivators often purchase large quantities of Five Elements Essence to temper and refine their Life-Bound Magical Treasures, making it a hard currency on par with Spirit Stones themselves.

The Chen Clan's over one hundred cultivators in the Qi Refinement [the initial stage of cultivation where one refines their vital energy] realm, combined, could refine approximately six hundred strands of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] each year. After selling these, the clan would earn around one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] annually.

Besides the Five Elements Essence, the seventeen Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spirit Farmland [land infused with spiritual energy, suitable for growing spiritual herbs] on the mountain were planted with spiritual herbs cultivated by the Chen Clan for centuries. These herbs yielded produce in successive years, with an average annual value exceeding one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

The three shops in the Yuyang Market [a market town frequented by cultivators], used for selling elixirs [spiritual pills used for cultivation and healing] and spiritual artifacts, brought in an annual revenue of roughly two hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

In truth, the Chen Clan originally owned five shops in the Yuyang Market. To raise funds for purchasing a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm], they had to sell two of them at a low price, incurring a significant loss.

Furthermore, the Chen Clan possessed a location known as Spirit Lake Isle [an isle within a spirit-imbued lake], situated five thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] from Verdant Chariot Peak [the spiritual mountain peak serving as the Chen Clan's ancestral home]. The isle housed a top-grade first-rank spiritual vein [a geographical conduit of concentrated spiritual energy], and the Azure Spirit Fish [a type of spiritually nourishing fish unique to the Chen Clan] nurtured within the spirit lake were a clan specialty, generating an annual income of eighty Spirit Stones.

"The Five Elements Essence, the Spirit Farmland on Verdant Chariot Peak, the Spirit Lake Isle, and the shops in Yuyang Market," Continue your cultivation journey at http://www . audio-novel.com.

"These four sources combined provide us with five hundred and seventy Spirit Stones per year. Adding other miscellaneous income, the clan's total annual revenue now falls short of six hundred Spirit Stones."

After Third Elder Lior Chen finished speaking, the expressions of everyone present turned grim. This level of income was insufficient even to cover the clan members' stipends, let alone repay the loan of eight thousand Spirit Stones.

Fifth Elder Chen Elara could not help but ask, "Our revenue the year before last was over one thousand three hundred Spirit Stones. How could it have decreased so drastically this year?"

The Third Elder shook his head. "Last year, the clan mortgaged its ten percent share in the Great Verdant Mountain Vein [a major spiritual mineral vein] for twelve thousand Spirit Stones. Consequently, we now lose three hundred Spirit Stones from that source each year."

"With the Patriarch gravely wounded this time, and seven uncles and aunts at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer fallen, our manpower is now critically insufficient. We no longer have the capacity to continue the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] trade to Celestial Ruins Mountain. This alone will cost us roughly three hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] in annual revenue."

"Combined, these two setbacks strip us of six hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] each year. Furthermore, we have now lost two more shops in the Yuyang Market."

Eldrin Chen listened, a heavy weight settling in his chest.

The Great Verdant Mountain Vein was a minor spirit stone deposit discovered three decades ago, jointly developed by the six great clans of Yu County. The Chen Clan had invested twenty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], along with manpower and resources, securing a one-tenth share of the profits.

Over thirty years of mining at the Great Verdant Mountain, the Chen Clan had recouped over nine thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. Last year, the clan exchanged its rights to the vein's profits for the next forty-five years for a lump sum of twelve thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy].

Consequently, for the next forty-five years, the clan's annual income would be three hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] lighter.

The Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] trade to Celestial Ruins Mountain was, moreover, one of the rare avenues for low-level cultivators to earn Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] from their high-level counterparts.

Though Jiang the Ancient Ancestor of Celestial Ruins Mountain possessed profound cultivation, he was a solitary practitioner, unlike patriarchs of great sects who had legions of disciples to supply them with Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements].

To refine his Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a powerful artifact bound to a cultivator's life force], he had no choice but to pay a high price to purchase Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] from low-level cultivators. This was precisely why Jiang the Daoist was willing to sell precious elixirs like the Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] to earn Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy].

Within the whole of Yu County, there were at least several thousand low-level cultivators. Yet, the journey to Celestial Ruins Mountain spanned a perilous ten thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]. Naturally, no one would trek such a treacherous distance merely to sell a few handfuls of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements].

Thus, the trade in Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] was established. Among the six great clans of Yu County, one clan was tasked each year with procuring the Five Elements Essence from across the county. They would then assemble a merchant caravan to journey to Celestial Ruins Mountain and sell the essence to Jiang the Daoist [a powerful cultivator and alchemist], profiting from the price difference. Find this and other novels at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.