Chapter 21 : The Path to Foundation Establishment

Though this could not compare to the Celestial Being [a legendary innate talent for cultivation] aptitude of Eldrin Chen, who began cultivating at the tender age of three, it was still far superior to most cultivators who could only start 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 True Qi [the refined vital energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] had grown yet another fraction, a look of delight appeared on his face.

For a cultivator, breaking through to the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Qi Refinement realm] did not mean one could immediately attempt Foundation Establishment [the process of solidifying one's cultivation foundation]. On the contrary, it required further tempering and refinement of one's True Qi.

So-called Foundation Establishment was the process of continuously compressing one's True Qi until it transformed into a liquid state known as True Essence [the liquefied, higher-quality form of True Qi], thereby achieving a qualitative change and completing a leap in one's Life [a term referring to one's fundamental life force and vitality] level.

The quantity of True Qi required for this process was immense.

Typically, a Vital Essence Refinement [the Qi Refinement realm] cultivator would first cultivate their True Qi until their meridians were brimming full. Then, through relentless tempering, they would condense their True Qi to the absolute limit their meridians could withstand.

Furthermore, they had to use their True Qi to temper and refine their meridians themselves, ensuring their meridian strength was honed to its peak before even attempting Foundation Establishment. This entire process of grinding refinement often required nearly a decade of dedicated effort.

Even so, without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that greatly increases the success rate of advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm], the chance of a successful Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation where one solidifies their foundation] is merely one in ten. Should the condensation of True Essence [the refined, foundational energy of a cultivator] fail, the meridians throughout the body would be blasted apart by the rampaging True Qi [the vital energy cultivated and circulated by practitioners], resulting in shattered meridians and death.

The reason Sixth Elder Kylan Chen 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 make the True Qi more docile and, for a short time, double the strength of one's meridians.

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 risk of perishing.

Eldrin Chen's physical body had been elevated by the Primordial Mist Violet Aura [a supreme-grade spiritual energy that enhances one's innate potential], and since childhood, his meridians had been tempered by both True Qi and the Primordial Mist Violet Aura. Consequently, his meridians were far broader than those of an ordinary Vital Essence Refinement [the first major realm of cultivation where one refines their vital essence] cultivator, and the resilience and strength of his meridian pathways far surpassed that of a typical Vital Essence Refinement Peak Stage practitioner.

By his estimation, nourishing his meridians with the Primordial Mist Violet Aura 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 naturally increase by severalfold, almost equivalent to having consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"My meridians are broad and can hold thirty to forty percent more True Qi than a cultivator of the same stage. This alone adds another ten to twenty percent to my chances of achieving Foundation Establishment," he mused.

"So, from here, I need only proceed steadily and surely. I will use the Spiritual Peach [a spiritual fruit that aids in accumulating True Qi] to accumulate True Qi, tempering myself for several more years. After that, I will likely have a fifty to sixty percent chance of success in my Foundation Establishment attempt."

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. Stepping out of his wooden hut to tend to the Spirit Fish [fish that have absorbed spiritual energy] and Violet-Striped Goose [a type of spiritual goose] as usual, he had taken only a few steps when he noticed the Spiritual Peach on the Spirit Peach Tree [a tree that bears spiritual peaches] were nearly ripe.

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

"This year's Spiritual Peach [a fruit imbued with spiritual energy, beneficial for cultivation] seem slightly more plentiful than in previous years."

Eldrin Chen gazed at the Spirit Peach Tree [a tree that bears spiritually charged peaches], his brow arching slightly in contemplation.

It seemed that due to the influence of the Primordial Mist Violet Aura [a rare and potent form of spiritual energy], the Spirit Peach Tree's fundamental nature had undergone a change, producing more Spiritual Peach with each passing year.

The first year yielded fifty-six Spiritual Peach, the second year sixty, and this year, over seventy unripe fruits already clung to its branches.

This was nearly the limit for a first-rank lower-grade Spirit Peach Tree; one more step and it would break through to the first-rank middle-grade.

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

"If that's truly the case, judging by the trend, it might reach the first-rank middle-grade within another year or two."

Eldrin Chen thought with burgeoning delight. A first-rank middle-grade Spirit Peach Tree would bear roughly twice as many Spiritual Peach annually as a lower-grade one, typically around one hundred fruits.

"..."

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 retained a mature charm looked upon the scenery and could not help but exclaim in wonder.

"Who would have thought the Chen Family actually controls such a beautifully scenic Spirit Lake [a lake imbued with spiritual energy]."

"If one could claim this Daoist Arena [a place of cultivation and practice] and spend the rest of one's days cultivating 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 the territory of the Chen Family. For cultivators of our level to think of seizing it is nothing but a fool's dream."

"That unique specialty of the Chen Family, the Azure Spirit Fish [a type of spiritually nourishing fish], is most likely raised here, isn't it?"

"If we could net them all, our cultivation resources for the next dozen or so years wouldn't be lacking."

"Enough, enough. Don't get so fixated on the Daoist Arena and the Spirit Fish. Our main task is what's important."

The third person suddenly spoke up. He was a burly cultivator clad in gray robes.

His gaze was grave as he stared at Lake Heart Island, and after a long moment of silence, he spoke thoughtfully.

"According to the intelligence we have gathered, the one who slew our junior brother is within this Spirit Isle Lake."

"Now that our master has commanded us to seek vengeance, we must not be remiss."

These individuals were all disciples of Zhang the Old Demon. They had come with the sole purpose of finding Eldrin Chen to avenge the descendant of Zhang the Old Demon who had been sacrificed in the blood ritual at Pingyuan Town.

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

"That old fiend fears Alistair Chen. Too cowardly to come himself, he sends us to risk our necks instead."

"That Eldrin Chen is a Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier cultivator, and he has protective formations. Are we not marching to our deaths by coming here?"

Among Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who cultivate using dark, often sacrificial methods], notions of kinship held little weight. They pursued their interests by any means necessary—examples 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 cursing of Zhang the Old Demon. Instead, he shook his head, his expression turning icy as he spoke:

"Each of us bears the Malevolent Ghost Heart-Devouring Curse [a sinister curse that causes spectral entities to devour the victim's heart if they disobey] left by Zhang the Old Demon. Obeying his command offers a sliver of hope for survival. Defy him, and we face the agony of having our hearts consumed by malevolent ghosts. Do you truly think rebellion is an option?"

The burly Demonic Cultivator was the only one among the three at the Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines the body's vital energy] ninth tier, making him the strongest. His expression was also grim, yet he spoke with a tone of confidence.

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

"When the time comes, the three of us at the Vital Essence Refinement Late Stage [the final phase of refining one's foundational life force] will surely be able to subdue a mere lone individual."

"To avoid unforeseen complications, let us act now."

The Demonic Cultivator [practitioners who use unorthodox, often malevolent methods to cultivate power] made their decision. They immediately boarded their solitary boat and began rowing across the waves towards Lake Heart Island.

Unfortunately, their luck was poor. They had only covered half the distance when Eldrin Chen, who was taking inventory of the Spirit Fish [fish imbued with spiritual energy], spotted them.

"Trouble—Demonic Cultivator!"

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted. The aura of Demonic Fiendish Energy [a corrupt and malevolent form of spiritual power] emanating from the figures was unmistakable. Recognizing them instantly, he retreated swiftly to Lake Heart Island and activated the Guardian Formation [a defensive array powered by spiritual energy].

The Mist Veil [a magical artifact that generates concealing mist] released a thick layer of fog, enveloping the entire Lake Heart Island in its protective shroud.

"Damn it!"

The three Demonic Cultivator immediately paled. The burly one gritted his teeth and declared with decisive urgency.

"We can't afford to hesitate any longer. Charge in!"

The several demonic fiends plunged into the sea of mist, only to find their vision obscured by the roiling clouds, their sight extending no further than a single Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters].

The withered, gaunt old demon Withered Bone Old Demon [a powerful and ancient demonic cultivator] took one look at this scene and sensed grave danger. He urgently called out, "This mist can block both spiritual sense and physical sight. Even we cannot see through it. To avoid being picked off one by one, we must not stray more than one Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] from each other!"