Chapter 21 : The Path to Foundation Establishment

Although this could not compare to the celestial bearing of Eldrin Chen, who began cultivating at the tender age of three, it was already far superior to most cultivators who could only commence their practice after the age of eleven or twelve.

Thus, cultivating in peace, another four months passed in the blink of an eye.

"Hah."

On this day, having completed his cultivation session, Eldrin Chen slowly exhaled a wisp of mist.

Feeling his own True Qi [the refined vital energy cultivated by practitioners] had grown yet another fraction, a glimmer of joy immediately surfaced on his face.

For a cultivator, breaking through to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer does not mean one can immediately attempt Foundation Establishment. On the contrary, it requires further tempering and refinement of one's own True Qi.

So-called Foundation Establishment is the process of continuously compressing True Qi, ultimately transforming it into liquid True Essence, thereby achieving a qualitative change and completing the leap in one's life hierarchy.

And the amount of True Qi required during this process is immense.

Typically, Qi Refinement Cultivators would cultivate their True Qi until their meridians were brimming full. Then, through relentless tempering, they would condense the Qi to the very limit their meridians could withstand.

Furthermore, they must use True Qi to temper their meridians themselves, ensuring the meridian strength is refined to its absolute peak before commencing Foundation Establishment. This process of tempering often requires nearly a decade of dedicated effort. Visit www . audio-novel.com to enjoy the complete series.

Even so, without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that significantly increases the chance of successfully advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm], the success rate of Foundation Establishment [the crucial second major realm of cultivation where one solidifies their foundation] is merely one in ten. Should the condensation of True Essence fail, the cultivator's meridians would be blasted apart by the rampaging Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things], resulting in shattered channels and certain death.

The reason the Sixth Elder, Chen Cedric, perished after his failed Foundation Establishment attempt was precisely because he fell at this critical juncture.

The function of the Foundation Establishment Pill is to temper the cultivator's Qi, making it more docile, and to temporarily double the resilience of their meridians for a short period.

It is precisely for this reason that cultivators who use a Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt a breakthrough will, at worst, suffer severe depletion of their vital energy if they fail, but face no mortal danger.

Eldrin Chen's physical body had been elevated by Primordial Essence [the purest form of foundational energy from the dawn of creation], and his meridians had been tempered since childhood by both his Qi and Primordial Essence. Consequently, his meridians were far broader than those of an ordinary Qi Refinement Cultivators [cultivators in the first major realm who refine their vital energy], and the toughness and strength of his channels vastly surpassed that of a typical peak Qi Refinement cultivator.

By his estimation, nourishing his meridians with Primordial Essence for a few more years would increase their strength to more than double that of an ordinary person. When that time came, his chances of a successful Foundation Establishment breakthrough would increase by severalfold, almost equivalent to having consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"My meridians are broad, capable of containing thirty to forty percent more Qi than cultivators of the same rank. This alone should add another ten to twenty percent to my chances of Foundation Establishment," he mused.

"Therefore, if I proceed steadily, using the Spirit Peach [a fruit imbued with spiritual energy that aids cultivation] to accumulate Qi and diligently temper myself for several more years, I will likely have a fifty to sixty percent chance of achieving Foundation Establishment."

Eldrin Chen thought with satisfaction. With such a foundation, if he could obtain one more Foundation Establishment Pill, his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment would be virtually assured.

In high spirits, he concluded his cultivation session and stepped out of his wooden hut to tend to the Spirit Fish [fish that have absorbed spiritual energy and are valuable for cultivation] and the Purple-Striped Wild Goose [a type of spiritual goose with distinctive purple markings] as was his routine. He had taken only a few steps when he noticed the Spirit Peach on the Spirit Peach Tree [a tree that bears spiritually potent peaches] were nearly ripe.

The joy of an impending harvest surged within him, lifting his spirits immensely.

"This year's Spirit Peach [a fruit imbued with spiritual energy] seem slightly more plentiful than in previous years."

Eldrin Chen observed the Spirit Peach Tree [a tree that bears spiritually nourishing peaches], a slight arch forming in his brow.

It seemed that due to the influence of the Primordial Essence [the purest, most fundamental source of spiritual energy], the foundational nature of the Spirit Peach Tree had undergone a change, causing it to bear more Spirit Peach with each passing year.

The first year yielded fifty-six Spirit Peach, the second year sixty, and this year it had already set over seventy unripe fruits.

This was nearly the limit for a First Rank Low Grade Spirit Peach Tree; one more step and it would break through to First Rank Middle Grade.

"Could it be that this Spirit Peach Tree has broken through its inherent limitations and can advance in rank as it ages?"

"If that's truly the case, judging by the trend, it should reach First Rank Middle Grade in another year or two."

Eldrin Chen thought with burgeoning delight. A First Rank Middle Grade Spirit Peach Tree would yield roughly double the fruit of a low-grade one, typically around one hundred Spirit Peach per year.

"..."

On that very day, at the edge of Spirit Isle Lake, three cultivators—one woman and two men—gazed into the distance towards Lake Heart Island.

Among them, a middle-aged woman whose beauty still held a captivating charm looked upon the scenery and could not help but exclaim in wonder.

"Who would have thought the Chen Clan possessed such a beautifully scenic spiritual lake."

"If one could claim this place as their cultivation abode and spend the rest of their days practicing here, what a splendid thing that would be."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, another gaunt, elderly cultivator shook his head. "This Spirit Isle Lake is Chen Clan territory. With our level of cultivation, dreaming of seizing it is pure folly."

"That unique specialty of the Chen Clan, the Azure Spirit Fish, is most likely raised here, is it not?" Support the author by reading on audio-novel.com (official site).

"If we could net them all in one sweep, our cultivation resources for the next dozen or so years would be quite sufficient."

"Enough, enough. Don't get so fixated on the abode and the Spirit Fish. We have more pressing matters at hand."

The third person spoke up abruptly. He was a burly cultivator clad in grey robes.

His gaze was grave as he stared at Lake Heart Island. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice thoughtful.

"According to the intelligence we have gathered, the one who slew our junior brother resides within this Spirit Isle Lake [a vast spiritual lake within the Cangyuan Mountain Range]."

"Now, our master has commanded us to seek vengeance. We must not be remiss in our duty."

These individuals were all disciples under Zhang Vorgath. They had come with the sole purpose of finding Eldrin Chen to avenge the descendant of Zhang Vorgath who had been slain during the blood sacrifice at Pingyuan Town.

At the thought of their mission's objective, the middle-aged woman's expression shifted, and she spat out words of discontent.

"That old fiend fears Chen Thalion, so he dares not come himself. Instead, he sends us to risk our lives in his stead."

"That Eldrin Chen is a cultivator at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the peak stage of Qi Refinement, one step below Foundation Establishment], and he has defensive formations guarding him. Are we not marching to our deaths by coming here?"

Among Demonic Cultivator [cultivators who use sinister, often sacrificial methods to gain power], notions of kinship or loyalty held little weight. They would stop at nothing for profit; tales of fathers and sons turning on each other, or masters and disciples betraying one another, were commonplace.

The gaunt old man paid no mind to the woman's open condemnation of Zhang Vorgath. Instead, he shook his head, his expression turning icy as he spoke:

"Each of us bears the Malevolent Ghost Heart-Devouring Curse [a vile curse planted by Zhang Vorgath that summons spectral entities to devour the victim's heart if they disobey] left by Zhang Vorgath. Obeying his commands offers a sliver of hope for survival. To defy him is to invite a fate of having one's heart consumed by vengeful spirits. Do you truly wish to rebel?"

The burly Demonic Cultivator, the only one among the three at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement and thus the strongest, also wore a grim expression. Yet, he spoke with a tone of calculated confidence.

"Before this journey, my master bestowed upon me a Six Ghosts Talisman [a powerful talisman capable of summoning and commanding six spectral entities], which should be sufficient to handle the formations here."

"When the time comes, the three of us, all at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the foundational stage where a cultivator refines their vital energy], surely will not fail to subdue a mere lone individual."

"To avoid unforeseen complications, we should act now."

Having made their decision, the several Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who harness corrupt and malevolent energies for power] immediately boarded their solitary skiff and began rowing across the waves towards Lake Heart Island [the central island within Spirit Province Lake].

Unfortunately, their luck was poor. They had traversed only half the distance when they were spotted by Eldrin Chen, who was taking inventory of the Spirit Fish [fish imbued with spiritual energy, a valuable cultivation resource].

"Trouble—Demonic Cultivator!"

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted. The aura of Demonic Fiend Qi [a corrupt and malevolent form of spiritual energy] emanating from the figures was unmistakable. Recognizing them instantly, he immediately retreated to Lake Heart Island and activated the island's guardian formation.

The Mist Veil Canopy [a magical artifact that generates a concealing and defensive mist] released a thick layer of clouds and fog, enveloping the entire Lake Heart Island.

"Damnation."

The three Demonic Cultivator immediately paled. The burliest among them gritted his teeth and declared with decisive urgency.

"We cannot afford to hesitate any longer. Charge in!"

The several demonic fiends entered the misty fog, only to find their vision obscured by the roiling vapors, their sight limited to a mere one Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters].

The gaunt elder demon, witnessing this scene, sensed grave peril. He urgently cried out, "This mist severs spiritual sense and eyesight [blocks both the cultivator's inner spiritual perception and their physical vision]. Even we cannot see through it. To avoid being picked off one by one, we must not stray more than one Zhang-length from each other!" The complete novel can be found at audio-novel dot com.