Chapter 10 : The Messenger's Summoning Call

The Messenger Eagle [a type of spirit fowl] was a First Rank Spirit Fowl purchased by the clan from the Aviary Control Pavilion in Ling Nation. Slightly intelligent, this eagle could travel three thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a day and was typically the medium used by Verdant Chariot Mountain to communicate with various clan outposts.

The arrival of the Messenger Eagle at Spirit Lake Isle clearly indicated the family had a message to convey to him.

Eldrin Chen took out a handful of Spirit Rice to feed the Messenger Eagle, then retrieved a letter from a tube attached to its leg.

After reading it, his expression shifted subtly, revealing a hint of joy.

"It seems I must return to Verdant Chariot Mountain."

Early the next morning, Eldrin Chen made his preparations. Leaving the formation on Spirit Lake Isle to operate autonomously, he set off for Verdant Chariot Mountain.

After a journey of merely five days, he arrived at Verdant Chariot Mountain. The Third Elder, Lior Chen, beamed with delight upon seeing him.

"Excellent, truly excellent," he exclaimed, grasping Eldrin Chen's hand with palpable excitement. "Your cultivation progress is even more astonishing than Corin's was."

"You flatter me, Thirteenth Uncle," Eldrin Chen replied modestly.

Lior Chen was ranked thirteenth among the Qing generation, which was why Eldrin Chen typically addressed him as Thirteenth Uncle. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel.com.

"I am still far from matching Uncle Chen Corin."

The Seventh Elder, Chen Corin, has been a disciple of the Green Sun Sect for many years. At thirty-four years of age this year, it is said his cultivation has already touched the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Realm [the second major stage of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation].

For disciples within the Green Sun Sect to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that significantly increases the chance of a successful breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm], it only costs ten thousand Contribution Points, which is equivalent to ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. This offers a far greater hope than the Chen Clan spending tens of thousands of Spirit Stones to purchase a single pill.

Furthermore, due to the karmic ties left from Sixty Years Ago, Chen Corin's hope of breaking through to Foundation Establishment is considerably greater than that of the clan's other Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the ninth and final layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, the first stage of cultivation] cultivators.

"There is no need for modesty. Your innate talent is indeed significantly greater than Chen Corin's."

"It is a pity the clan currently lacks the means to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill for you."

The Third Elder let out a sigh, then returned to the matter at hand.

"The main reason for summoning you back this time is still concerning the refinement of the Qi Gathering Pill [a pill that aids in gathering and refining Qi for cultivators]."

As Lior Chen explained, Eldrin Chen nodded in understanding. Of the Chen Clan's seventeen *mu* [a traditional Chinese unit of area, approximately six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spirit Farmland [land infused with spiritual energy, suitable for growing spiritual crops], five *mu* are dedicated specifically to cultivating Qi Nurturing Grass.

The Qi Nurturing Grass [a First Rank Middle Grade spiritual herb that gathers and concentrates ambient Qi] is the primary ingredient for refining the Qi Gathering Pill.

The Qi Gathering Pill [a spiritual pill that aids Qi Refinement cultivators in their cultivation] is a spiritual elixir supplied for the cultivation of Qi Refinement cultivators. Because it can assist Qi Refinement cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks, it has always sold very well.

The Chen Clan matures a batch of Qi Nurturing Grass [a spiritual herb that nourishes Qi] every five years. The harvested Qi Nurturing Grass can be refined into fifty furnaces of Qi Gathering Pill. This is the most stable source of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] for the Chen Clan's Spirit Medicine Garden.

The task of refining the Qi Gathering Pill has always been the responsibility of the Sixth Elder, Chen Cedric. He is a First Rank High Grade Alchemist [a practitioner of the art of refining spiritual pills]. His success rate in refining the First Rank Middle Grade Qi Gathering Pill has already exceeded sixty percent, bringing considerable profit each time.

However, because Chen Cedric failed in his Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one builds their foundational dao base] attempt, his future potential is limited. Therefore, the clan intends to cultivate a new Alchemist, lest the clan's Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] finds no successor after Chen Cedric passes away.

For this round of Qi Gathering Pill refinement, although Chen Cedric remains in charge, Eldrin Chen will also participate, assisting the Sixth Elder while learning Alchemy.

"This time, you will follow the Sixth Elder and diligently learn Alchemy,"

Lior Chen instructed while leading Eldrin Chen to the clan's Alchemy Chamber [a specialized chamber for refining pills].

Upon entering the Alchemy Chamber, Eldrin Chen saw the Sixth Elder. For the past two years, Eldrin Chen had spent most of his time on Spirit Lake Isle, having scarcely crossed paths with the Sixth Elder.

But now, the Sixth Elder appeared much more aged. It seemed the failure of his Foundation Establishment breakthrough had dealt him a severe blow.

The blow from the failed Foundation Establishment attempt was too great for him. He owed the clan thirty thousand Spirit Stone—a debt impossible to repay in several lifetimes, destined to become a bad debt for the clan. This placed an immense and crushing pressure upon him.

Chen Cedric also saw Eldrin Chen. The moment his gaze fell upon Eldrin Chen, he first froze for a moment, then a look of utter despondency washed over his face.

"Come in. I have been waiting for you for some time."

As soon as Eldrin Chen arrived, Chen Cedric immediately began the process of pill concoction [the art of refining spiritual energy into consumable elixirs].

Because the quantity of pills to be refined this time was immense, the work was correspondingly very demanding.

Eldrin Chen was responsible for sorting the Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in cultivation], and also took on the pre-processing of the Qi Nurturing Grass [a common spiritual herb used to nourish one's foundational Qi] and the supplementary ingredients. He was already a First Rank High Grade Spirit Farmer [a cultivator skilled in growing spiritual plants], and his understanding of the medicinal properties of Spirit Medicine was no weaker than that of an Alchemist [a specialist in refining spiritual pills] of the same rank, so he handled the tasks swiftly.

Chen Cedric originally refined the pills at a brisk pace, but seeing Eldrin Chen observing his work with such attentiveness, he deliberately slowed his movements and patiently began to explain. Find thousands of chapters at audio-novel-dot-com.

At first, Eldrin Chen only grasped the concepts vaguely, but gradually, he was able to engage in a meaningful back-and-forth dialogue. This prompted Chen Cedric to nod repeatedly in approval.

"It seems you possess some talent for the art of alchemy as well."

Chen Cedric had broken through to become a First Rank High Grade Alchemist in his forties. His talent in Alchemy could truly be considered superior.

To earn his recognition indicated that Eldrin Chen indeed possessed notable aptitude for Spirit Medicine and the art of pill refinement.

This was also related to the fact that Eldrin Chen was a First Rank High Grade Spirit Farmer [a cultivator skilled in growing spiritual plants]. After all, he had already attained a certain mastery regarding the medicinal properties of Spirit Medicine [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy and cultivation], which had lowered the threshold considerably for learning Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual energy and materials into potent pills and elixirs].

Not long after, the first batch was finally successfully refined, yielding five Qi Gathering Pill [a basic cultivation pill that helps gather and refine spiritual energy].

"Not bad at all."

As he stored the pills in a prepared porcelain vial, Chen Cedric revealed a satisfied expression.

The first batch served to 'season' the cauldron, typically resulting in a lower success rate. Achieving a fifty percent pill formation rate was already considered quite commendable.

Sure enough, in the subsequent refinements, the success rate steadily improved. The second batch yielded six pills.

After six or seven days of busy work, the two of them finally completed the refinement of fifty batches of Qi Gathering Pill, producing a total of three hundred and thirty-six pills.

"Finally finished."

Looking at the completed pills, the two finally let out a sigh of relief.

Eldrin Chen also praised, "The success rate is close to seventy percent. Twenty-Sixth Uncle could probably attempt to advance to a Second Rank Alchemist."

Generally speaking, if one achieves a sixty percent success rate in refining First Rank Middle Grade pills, then the success rate for refining First Rank High Grade pills should be around thirty percent.

Having a thirty percent success rate in refining First Rank High Grade pills indeed provides a slight chance to attempt a breakthrough to the Second Rank Alchemist realm.

"It's not that simple. I'm still far from it,"

"It's merely the result of refining several hundred batches of Qi Gathering Pill [a pill that aids in gathering and refining Qi] over these years. Practice makes perfect."

Chen Cedric shook his head, though a pleased smile still spread across his face.

"However, three hundred and thirty-six pills were successfully refined this time, over thirty more than in previous years. This is the highest yield the clan has seen in sixty years."

"It seems that while my Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation where one builds a solid spiritual foundation] attempt failed, breaking through to the Qi Refinement Tenth Layer [the tenth and final layer of the Qi Refinement stage] has still brought some benefit to my alchemy."

After the two finished their alchemical work, the Third Elder, who had been waiting, meticulously counted the Qi Gathering Pill once more.

The Qi Gathering Pill can slightly increase the probability of a Qi Refinement cultivator breaking through minor bottlenecks. Within Yu County, they have always sold very well, with each pill fetching a price exceeding five Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy].

These three hundred and thirty-six pills, once sold, could recoup approximately one thousand six hundred Spirit Stones, providing a significant and timely infusion of resources for the clan.

At this thought, Third Elder could not contain his joy and spoke. [The Third Elder is a senior member of the Chen Clan, responsible for managing clan affairs and resources.]

"This year's harvest has been most bountiful."

"With the year's end upon us and Eldrin having returned, it is fitting we convene a clan assembly." Read the full novel exclusively on audio–novel.com.