Chapter 10 : The Messenger's Summons

The Messenger Eagle [a spiritual avian creature] was a first-rank spiritual bird purchased by the clan from the Avian Taming Pavilion in Ling Nation. Slightly intelligent, it could travel three thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a day and was typically used by Verdant Chariot Mountain as a medium for communication with various clan outposts.

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

Eldrin Chen took out a handful of Spirit Rice [spiritually nourishing grain] to feed the eagle, then retrieved a letter from a tube attached to its leg.

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

"It seems I must return to Verdant Chariot Mountain," he murmured.

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

After a journey of merely five days, he arrived at the mountain. The Third Elder, Lior Chen, greeted him with evident joy.

"Excellent, truly excellent," he exclaimed, grasping Eldrin's hand with fervent excitement. "The pace of your cultivation progress is even more astonishing than Qingyuan's was."

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

Eldrin offered this humble response. Lior Chen was ranked thirteenth within the Verdant Generation [the generational cohort of the Chen Clan], which was why Eldrin customarily addressed him as Thirteenth Uncle.

"I am still far from matching Uncle Qingyuan."

Seventh Elder Caleb Chen 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 Foundation Establishment.

For disciples within the Verdant Sun Gate to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill, one pill costs only ten thousand contribution points, which is equivalent to ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. This offers a far greater hope than the Chen Family spending tens of thousands of Spirit Stones to purchase a single pill.

Furthermore, due to the Karma [the metaphysical principle of cause and effect] left behind sixty years ago, Caleb Chen's hope of breaking through to Foundation Establishment is considerably greater than that of the family's cultivators at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier.

"There is no need for modesty. Your natural talent is indeed far superior to Qingyuan's."

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

Third Elder sighed, then proceeded to discuss the main matter at hand.

"The primary reason for summoning you back this time is still the matter of refining the Qi Absorption Pill."

As Lior Chen explained, Eldrin Chen nodded in understanding. Of the Chen Family's seventeen Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spiritual Field [fields infused with spiritual energy for growing spiritual plants], five Mu-area are specifically dedicated to cultivating Qi Nurturing Grass.

The Qi Nurturing Grass is a first-rank, middle-grade spiritual herb. This herb serves as the primary ingredient for refining the Qi Absorption Pill.

The Qi Absorption Pill [a pill that aids in absorbing Qi] is a spiritual elixir supplied for the cultivation of Vital Essence Refinement [the first major stage of cultivation] practitioners. Because it can assist Vital Essence Refinement cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks, it has always sold very well.

The Chen Family matures a batch of Qi Nurturing Grass [a spiritual herb that nurtures Qi] every five years. The harvested Qi Nurturing Grass can be refined into fifty furnaces of Qi Absorption Pill, making this the most stable source of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] for the Chen Family's Spirit Herb Garden.

The task of refining the Qi Absorption Pill has always been the responsibility of the Sixth Elder, Kylan Chen. He is a first-rank upper-grade alchemist, and his success rate for refining the first-rank middle-grade Qi Absorption Pill has already exceeded sixty percent, bringing considerable profit with each batch.

However, because Kylan Chen failed his Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation] breakthrough, his Future potential is limited. The family thus intends to cultivate a new alchemist to prevent the family's alchemical arts from having no successor after Kylan Chen passes away.

For this round of Qi Absorption Pill refinement, while Kylan Chen remains in charge, Eldrin Chen will also participate, assisting the Sixth Elder while learning the art of alchemy.

"This time, follow closely behind the Sixth Elder and diligently learn the art of alchemy,"

Lior Chen instructed while leading Eldrin Chen to the family's Alchemy Chamber.

Upon entering the Alchemy Chamber, Eldrin Chen saw the Sixth Elder. Over the past two years, Eldrin Chen had spent most of his time on Spirit Lake Isle, rarely crossing paths with the Sixth Elder.

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

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

Kylan Chen also saw Eldrin Chen. The moment his gaze fell upon Eldrin, he froze momentarily, then a look of utter desolation washed over his face.

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

As soon as Eldrin Chen arrived, Kylan Chen immediately began the process of pill refinement.

The sheer quantity of elixirs to be concocted this time made the task exceptionally demanding.

Eldrin Chen was tasked with sorting the Spirit Herb [plants imbued with spiritual energy], and also handled the preliminary processing of the Qi Nurturing Grass [a specific herb for nourishing vital energy] and the supplementary ingredients. Now a First-Rank Upper Grade Spiritual Planter, his understanding of the medicinal properties of Spirit Herb was no weaker than that of an alchemist of the same rank, allowing him to work with remarkable speed.

Though Kylan Chen could have refined the pills much faster, noticing Eldrin's intent observation, he deliberately slowed his movements and began patiently explaining the process.

At first, Eldrin Chen only grasped fragments of the knowledge, but gradually, he began to engage in a meaningful back-and-forth dialogue, his insightful responses prompting Kylan Chen to nod in approval again and again.

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

Kylan Chen had broken through to become a First-Rank Upper Grade Alchemist in his forties, a testament to his considerable talent in pill refinement.

To earn his recognition indicated that Eldrin Chen indeed possessed notable aptitude for both Spirit Herb and the alchemical arts.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that Eldrin Chen was a First-Rank Upper Grade Spiritual Farmer [a cultivator specializing in growing spiritual plants]. After all, he had already attained a certain mastery over the medicinal properties of Spirit Herb [plants imbued with spiritual energy], which lowered the threshold for learning the art of alchemy by more than half.

Not long after, the first batch was finally successfully refined, yielding five Qi Absorption Pill [a basic cultivation pill that aids in absorbing Qi, the vital energy].

"Not bad at all."

As he placed the pills into the prepared porcelain vial, Kylan Chen revealed a satisfied expression.

The first batch served to "season" the alchemical cauldron, typically resulting in a low 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 working diligently for six or seven days, the two of them finally completed the refinement of fifty batches of Qi Absorption Pill [a basic cultivation pill that aids in absorbing Qi, the vital energy], producing a total of three hundred and thirty-six pills.

"Finally finished."

Looking at the successfully refined pills, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Eldrin Chen also praised, "With a success rate approaching seventy percent, Twenty-sixth Uncle could likely attempt to advance to the rank of a Second-Order [Second-Rank] alchemist."

Generally speaking, if an alchemist achieves a sixty percent success rate in refining first-rank middle-grade elixirs, then their success rate for first-rank upper-grade elixirs should be around thirty percent.

With a thirty percent success rate in refining first-rank upper-grade elixirs, one indeed has a certain chance to attempt the breakthrough to become a Second-Order Alchemist.

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

"It's merely the result of refining several hundred batches of Qi Absorption Pill over these years. Practice makes perfect."

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

"However, three hundred and thirty-six pills were successfully refined this time. That's over thirty more than in previous years, making this the most fruitful batch our clan has produced in sixty years."

"It seems that even though my Foundation Establishment attempt failed, breaking through to the tenth layer of Vital Essence Refinement has still brought some benefit to my alchemy."

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

The Qi Absorption Pill [a pill that slightly increases the chance for a Vital Essence Refinement cultivator to break through minor cultivation bottlenecks] has always sold well within Yu County, 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, would bring in roughly one thousand six hundred and several dozen Spirit Stones, providing a significant and much-needed infusion of resources for the clan.

At this thought, Third Elder could not contain his joy and spoke with delight.

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

"With the year's end coinciding and Eldrin's return, let us convene a Clan Assembly [a formal gathering of the family's members and elders to discuss important matters]."