Chapter 2 : A Clan's Devastating Failure

This Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] was purchased with wealth accumulated by the clan over several decades. To secure it, even the clan patriarch sustained severe injuries, and several Chang Generation elders of the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and highest level of the Qi Refinement stage] perished while guarding it.

If the Sixth Elder fails in his breakthrough attempt, it would deal a devastating blow to the already struggling Chen Clan.

As expected, after a long and heavy silence, the Third Elder finally spoke.

"Verdant Bud emerged from seclusion yesterday."

"He did not succeed in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage..."

As soon as Lior Chen finished speaking, the faces of many in the hall paled. Even though they had braced themselves for this outcome, hearing the confirmation was a bitter pill to swallow.

The seventh Granduncle, Eternal Verdancy Chen, now one hundred and seven years old, felt a sudden dizziness. A surge of rebellious blood rushed to his head. He spat out a mouthful of crimson and collapsed, unconscious.

"Seventh Granduncle!"

"Uncle..."

Chaos erupted. The assembly rushed to protect the seventh granduncle's heart meridian before carefully carrying him back to his residence. Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel dot com.

They were occupied for a full two hours [one Shichen-time equals two hours] before everyone finally returned to the Clan Affairs Hall. By then, all present were pale-faced, their expressions unsettled and their minds clearly troubled.

The failure of Verdant Bud Chen to achieve Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, forming a stable spiritual foundation] was a devastating blow to the Chen Clan. This time, misfortune had struck the clan with exceptional severity. The purchase of the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that significantly increases the chance of forming a spiritual foundation] had already strained their resources to the breaking point. To protect it, several Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the first cultivation realm, refining one's vital life force] elders of the Chang Generation had perished, and even the Clan Leader had suffered grievous wounds.

Now, with Verdant Bud Chen's breakthrough attempt ending in failure, it meant that for the next thirty years, the Chen Clan would lack the capability to procure another Foundation Establishment Pill for the family.

Without the means to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, and with no sufficiently powerful cultivator to serve as a pillar for the clan, their income would shrink by nearly half. For the cultivators of the Verdant Generation and Nian Generation, this was nothing short of a catastrophic setback.

The Chen Clan faced the very real prospect of a generational decline, a slow fade into obscurity until it vanished entirely from the Immortal Realm [the world of cultivation and immortals].

The assembled members exchanged uneasy glances, their throats dry and hearts leaden with dread. Third Elder Lior Chen, his gaze sweeping over the somber crowd, was the first to break the heavy silence.

"Even with the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, the chance of success is typically no more than forty percent," he began, his voice measured. "Verdant Bud's failure, while tragic, falls within the realm of expected outcomes."

"Let us set that matter aside for now. Our immediate duty is to assess the clan's current standing."

Years ago, after sustaining his injuries, Third Elder had abandoned any personal ambition for Foundation Establishment. Since then, he had dedicated himself to managing the clan's affairs with meticulous order.

Under his stewardship these past few years, the family's fortunes had just begun to show signs of recovery. To be met now with such a Great Tribulation [a major calamity or trial] 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 pill that aids in the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm], we took out a loan of eight thousand Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy] this time. The longer this debt drags on, the deeper the hole becomes. It must be repaid as quickly as possible."

"The clan's annual expenditures are also significant. A cultivator at the Vital Essence Refinement Early Stage [the initial stage of refining one's vital life energy] receives an annual stipend of two Spirit Stones. One at the Vital Essence Refinement Mid Stage [the middle stage] receives five, and one at the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the late stage] receives ten."

"The clan patriarch's annual stipend is three hundred Spirit Stones, and an Elder's stipend is thirty. Our clan currently has one hundred and six cultivators remaining. Altogether, the annual stipends amount to approximately nine hundred and thirty-seven Spirit Stones."

Third Elder cleared his throat and continued.

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

"The clan's primary sources of income 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 Spiritual Field [fields imbued with spiritual energy for growing rare plants] on the mountain, the Spirit Lake Isle, and the income from several shops in the Sunward Market."

As Third Elder spoke, Eldrin Chen gained his first real understanding of the clan's actual situation. This was his first time attending such a meeting since joining the clan's upper echelons.

Among these sources of income, the Five Elements Essence was the most stable.

As the name implies, Five Elements Essence is the pure quintessence of the five elements, refined and produced by cultivators possessing a Five Elements Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual aptitude allowing affinity with all five elemental energies].

This treasure is of great use to high-level cultivators, as it can elevate the grade of their Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bonded to a cultivator's life force and soul]. Therefore, high-level cultivators often purchase large quantities of Five Elements Essence to use in the ritual refinement of their Lifebound Magical Treasure, making it a hard currency on par with Spirit Stones."

The Chen Clan has over one hundred Vital Essence Refinement cultivators. Combined, they can 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 earns around one hundred and twenty Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] annually.

In addition to the Five Elements Essence, 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] on the mountain are planted with Spirit Herb [plants that absorb spiritual energy and possess medicinal or cultivation-enhancing properties] cultivated by the Chen Clan for centuries. These herbs yield produce year after year, with an average annual value exceeding one hundred and fifty Spirit Stone.

The three shops in the Sunward Market [a market town frequented by cultivators], used for selling elixirs [cultivation-enhancing pills] and spiritual weapons, generate an annual profit of roughly two hundred and twenty Spirit Stone.

In truth, the Chen Clan originally owned five shops in the Sunward Market. To raise funds for purchasing a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm], they were forced to sell two at a loss, a significant financial blow.

Furthermore, the Chen Clan possesses a Spirit Lake Isle [an isle centered around a spiritually charged lake] located five thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] from Green Chariot Mountain. Within this Spiritual Lake lies a first-grade, upper-tier Spiritual Vein [a subterranean conduit of concentrated spiritual energy]. The Azure Spirit Fish [spiritually infused fish] nurtured in the lake are a specialty of the Chen Clan, bringing in eighty Spirit Stone of profit each year.

"The Five Elements Essence, the Spiritual Field on Green Chariot Mountain, the Spirit Lake Isle, and the shops in the Sunward Market," Access the full story on audi0-n0vel.c0m.

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

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

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

Third Elder shook his head. "Last year, the clan mortgaged its ten percent stake in the Great Verdant Mountain mineral vein for twelve thousand Spirit Stone. Consequently, we have lost three hundred Spirit Stone in annual income from that source."

"With the clan leader severely wounded this time, and seven of our uncles and granduncles fallen, our manpower is now critically insufficient. We no longer have the capacity to continue the business of supplying Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] to Heavenly Ruins Mountain. This alone will cost us another 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 every year. Furthermore, we have now lost two more shops in Sunward 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. It was jointly developed by the Six Great Clans of Yu County. The Chen Clan had invested twenty thousand Spirit Stone, contributing both capital and labor, securing a one-tenth share of the profits.

After thirty years of mining at Great Verdant Mountain, the Chen Clan had recouped over nine thousand Spirit Stone. Last year, the clan exchanged its rights to the mine's profits for the next forty-five years for a lump sum of twelve thousand Spirit Stone.

Consequently, for the next forty-five years, the Chen Clan's annual income would be three hundred Spirit Stone lighter.

The trade of Five Elements Essence with Heavenly Ruins Mountain was one of the rare avenues for low-level cultivators to earn Spirit Stone from their more powerful seniors.

Although Path Master Jiang of Heavenly Ruins Mountain possessed profound cultivation, he was a rogue cultivator. Unlike the patriarchs of great sects who had legions of disciples to supply them with Five Elements Essence, he had no such resource.

To refine his Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force], he had no choice but to purchase Five Elements Essence from low-level cultivators at considerable cost. This was precisely why Path Master Jiang 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.

Within Yu County alone, there were thousands of low-level cultivators. Yet, Heavenly Ruins Mountain lay a perilous hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away. No one would risk such a treacherous journey spanning thousands of Li-length just to sell a few handfuls of Five Elements Essence for mere Spirit Stone.

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 responsible each year for purchasing the Five Elements Essence from the entire county. They would then assemble a merchant caravan to travel to Heavenly Ruins Mountain and sell the essence to Path Master Jiang, profiting from the price difference. Find thousands of chapters at audio novel.com.