Chapter 9 : A Clan's Legacy Reborn

Eldrin Chen nodded. "Yes, I had some insights recently and managed to break through to the Vital Essence Refinement 8th Tier." Seeing the confirmation, Sixteenth Granduncle's face lit up with excitement. "The Vital Essence Refinement 8th Tier at sixteen years old! Could it be that our Chen Clan is about to produce a Violet Sanctum Patriarch?"

He was utterly thrilled, but after a moment, as his emotions settled, he let out a sigh.

"Alas, if this were sixty years ago, during our Chen Clan's golden age, we would have certainly secured another Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in forming the Foundation Establishment realm] for you no matter the cost."

"But now... the clan truly has no means to do so."

Sixteenth Granduncle shook his head with a sigh, his expression full of dejection.

Eldrin Chen listened quietly. Although he was not present during the events of sixty years prior, he was familiar with the broad strokes of the Chen Clan's history.

Sixty years ago marked the Chen Clan's peak. At that time, they had three Foundation Establishment Patriarchs. One of the Path's Generation Patriarchs had even cultivated to the Foundation Establishment 9th Tier and held the potential to break through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm, where one opens the mystical Violet Palace within their dantian].

Unfortunately, sixty years ago, the Beast Tide [a catastrophic invasion by demonic beasts] erupted. Even the great Verdant Sun Sect of Chu Nation lost two of its Violet Sanctum Patriarchs in the fighting. Naturally, the Chen Clan could not remain aloof.

To resist the Beast Tide, a large number of the Chen Clan's cultivators were conscripted. Their luck, however, was abysmal. They encountered a Third-Order Violet Sanctum Demonic Beast [a powerful demonic beast equivalent to a late-stage Violet Sanctum cultivator]. The entire family force, including the two Foundation Establishment Patriarchs, was completely annihilated. Only the clan leader stationed at Green Chariot Peak, Eternal Profound Chen, who was the weakest in cultivation at the time, survived.

The losses from that single battle were so devastating that the Chen Clan has still not recovered its vitality even after sixty years. Conditions have only just begun to improve slightly in recent years. This chapter is provided by www . audio-novel.com. Support the original.

However, after Verdant Bud Chen's Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] breakthrough failed, further misfortune struck. For the next several decades, the clan would be unable to help Eldrin Chen purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm].

Yet, this was not the only concern weighing on Eldrin Chen's mind; he had thought of another grim possibility.

The Chu Nation faced a Beast Tide [a massive, periodic invasion of demonic beasts] once every century. With less than forty years remaining until the next one, Eldrin Chen wondered if the Chen Clan would be able to withstand it.

"Enough," he sighed inwardly. "When the heavens fall, the tallest will bear the weight. My true path lies in diligent cultivation."

Dismissing these thoughts, Eldrin Chen led Sixteenth Granduncle and the other two back to Lake Heart Island.

Upon arriving at the Spirit Lake Isle, Sixteenth Granduncle discovered the Spiritual Peach Tree [a tree bearing fruit infused with spiritual energy] and the nest of young Violet-Striped Goose [a type of spiritual waterfowl], his face betraying profound shock.

Knowing full well that the Spiritual Peach Tree and the Violet-Striped Goose could not be concealed, Eldrin Chen made no attempt to hide them. Instead, he took the initiative to explain.

"I found the Spiritual Peach Tree by chance and transplanted it here," he stated.

"A pair of Violet-Striped Goose migrated here some time ago. I slew them, discovered a clutch of eggs, and managed to hatch them myself."

As they listened to his account, and upon learning the approximate time of the geese's migration, both Remembrance Heaven and Remembrance Origin Chen wore expressions of deep regret.

They had stayed at Spirit Lake Isle for several years previously, but had not inspected it diligently, thus missing the chance to discover this nest of Violet-Striped Goose.

"Alas, what wretched luck," they sighed.

Both men were filled with regret. As things stood, this nest of Violet-Striped Goose and the Spiritual Peach Tree were finds from outside the clan's established holdings and would be counted as Eldrin Chen's personal property.

They felt that if they had only explored the vicinity of Spirit Lake Isle more thoroughly back then, perhaps these two strokes of fortune would have been theirs.

Eldrin Chen observed their expressions and could roughly guess the nature of their regrets, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips.

The Spiritual Peach Tree was an impossibility, but had they patrolled Spirit Lake Isle more diligently, they might indeed have secured a few Spirit Goose eggs. However, with their cultivation at the Vital Essence Refinement Early Stage, they likely would have struggled to overcome the two Violet-Striped Goose at the Vital Essence Refinement Mid Stage.

Sixteenth Granduncle stroked the Spiritual Peach Tree and the young Violet-Striped Goose, unable to contain his excitement.

"Young Eldrin, what fine fortune you have! With this Spiritual Peach Tree and these young Violet-Striped Goose, you'll have an income of several hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] every year from now on."

"Wait just twenty or thirty years, and you'll have accumulated a tidy sum. By then, with the clan lending a hand, it's not impossible we could procure another Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] for you."

"You're still young, no need to rush. You have the lifespan to wait."

The old man was agitated for a long while, offering words of encouragement to Eldrin Chen before finally calming down enough to attend to the matter at hand.

The reason the three of them had come to Spirit Lake Isle was that the Spirit Rice [a grain infused with spiritual energy, a staple food for cultivators] they had planted had ripened and was ready for harvest.

The spiritual stalks were incredibly tough; only cultivators possessed the strength to harvest them. The four of them toiled for the entire afternoon before finally gathering all the Spirit Rice.

The total yield was one hundred and sixty-two Jin-weight [one Jin-weight equals zero point five kilograms] of Spirit Rice, which translated to a value of fifty-four Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. This was twelve Jin-weight more than Eldrin Chen had anticipated.

Sixteenth Granduncle also remarked with some delight, "It seems the water quality of this Spiritual Lake is truly exceptional. The yield per Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] here is actually higher than that of the Spiritual Field [a field nourished by spiritual energy for growing spiritual plants] on Green Chariot Mountain."

Of the seventeen Mu-area of Spiritual Field on Green Chariot Mountain, seven Mu-area were dedicated solely to growing Spirit Rice. The annual harvest typically yielded just over five hundred Jin-weight, averaging about seventy-five Jin-weight per Mu-area. In contrast, Spirit Lake Isle produced eighty-one Jin-weight per Mu-area, a clear and significant improvement. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audio_novel.com.

After harvesting the Spirit Rice, Sixteenth Granduncle proceeded to net the newly mature Azure Verdant Spirit Fish [a type of spiritual fish prized for its taste and mild energy] from the Spiritual Lake, catching a total of seventeen.

These Spirit Fish would be sent to the Chen Clan restaurant in Sunward Market. They were considered a delicacy among the cultivators of Sunward Prefecture, a prized dish for hosting friends. Each batch would sell out completely within a mere half-month, bringing substantial profits to the establishment.

"Focus on your cultivation. Your path is still long."

"When the time comes, the clan will surely find a way to lend you its aid."

Sixteenth Granduncle offered some words of encouragement and did not linger. That very night, he departed for the Sunward Market, taking with him the Spirit Rice [a type of grain infused with spiritual energy] and the Spirit Fish [fish that have absorbed spiritual energy, their flesh beneficial for cultivation]. These Spirit Fish and Spirit Rice were all to be sold for Spirit Stones.

Although Spirit Fish possess robust vitality, they still require water to survive. To transport live Spirit Fish across ten thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] to the Sunward Market, the Chen Clan specially rented a Fiery Cloud Horse Spirit Beast [a spirit beast resembling a horse wreathed in fiery clouds, capable of brief flight] and cart from one of the six great cultivation families of Yu County—the Zhang Clan.

The Fiery Cloud Horse is a mid-grade first-tier Spirit Beast [a beast that has awakened and can cultivate spiritual energy]. This type of Spirit Beast can fly low for short periods, ignore most terrain obstacles, and even travel a thousand Li-lengths in a single day. A single horse could pull a cart full of Spirit Fish to the Sunward Market in just over ten days.

With over a dozen Fiery Cloud Horses, the Zhang Clan earned over three hundred Spirit Stones annually just from freight services, a source of envy for the other great families.

Watching the majestic Fiery Cloud Horse depart, Eldrin Chen felt a twinge of envy, but then shook his head with a wry smile.

The Spiritual Peach Tree [a peach tree that bears spiritually infused fruit] bore Spiritual Peaches [peaches imbued with spiritual energy] each year worth nearly three hundred Spirit Stones. Once the Violet-Striped Geese [spirit geese with distinctive violet markings] matured a bit more, they would periodically lay spiritual eggs, representing another significant source of income.

An annual income of several hundred Spirit Stones was a considerable fortune even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation, a major milestone], enough to ensure smooth cultivation progress all the way to the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

"..."

Time flows unnoticed on a tranquil lake, and the years slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Eldrin Chen settled into his cultivation routine at the Spiritual Lake [a lake rich in ambient spiritual energy]. In what seemed like a moment, two years had passed. On this day, after drawing in the morning's rosy clouds and exhaling a long, steady breath, he concluded his meditation.

"Success."

A wave of elation washed over him. After fifteen years of cultivation, of relentlessly honing his foundation, he had finally broken through to the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of refining the body's vital energy].

To reach the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier at the age of eighteen was a remarkable achievement. In just a few more years, once he had solidified his foundation completely, he could attempt the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage [the stage where a cultivator forms their spiritual foundation].

His heart light, he emerged from seclusion, only to find a Messenger Eagle [a spiritual bird used to carry messages] had been waiting for some time outside his Bamboo Hut. For the best reading experience, visit www . audio-novel.com.