Chapter 1157 : Echoes of Past Lives

Alas, in the end, he was powerless. His old friends had long since entered the cycle of Reincarnation [the process of being reborn into a new life] countless times within the Mortal Dust [the realm of ordinary, mortal existence]. How could it be easy to trace them back?

Even if he found their reincarnated forms, how could he possibly restore their memories from that bygone era?

For cultivators below the Primordial Spirit [the Nascent Soul stage, where one's spiritual core solidifies into an independent entity] realm, their Divine Soul [the spiritual essence or soul of a being] is exceedingly fragile. Once it enters the cycle of reincarnation and has its memories cleansed, retrieving them would only be possible after Ascending to Immortality [transcending mortality and achieving immortal status].

Furthermore, the lower one's cultivation was, the more difficult it becomes to recover those memories. Varen Wei was a Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator at the Purple Mansion stage, a significant mid-level realm] in his past life, so the strength of his Divine Soul was not insignificant. He could potentially recover his memories after ascending to immortality in the future.

But for a cultivator like Kael Chen, who passed away at the mere Qi Refinement Stage [the initial stage of cultivation, focusing on refining one's vital energy], who knows how many lifetimes he has been through reincarnation by now? Retrieving his former memories is nearly impossible, unless aided by the legendary Mirror of Past Lives [a mythical artifact said to reflect the memories of one's previous incarnations].

Yet, the Mirror of Past Lives is a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure [a treasure of the highest order, born from the world's primal energies], and one of the Six Treasures of the Netherworld Hell [the underworld, the realm of the dead]. Legend says it vanished at the dawn of creation; finding it is a near-impossible task.

Thus, the path to reclaiming old companions is fraught with immense difficulty.

"Alas—"

With a soft sigh in his heart, Eldrin Chen drew his thoughts back to the present.

He lifted his gaze forward and saw that the Spirit Root Testing Assembly [a ceremony or event to assess a person's innate spiritual aptitude for cultivation] had already commenced. Published by audio-novel.com. All rights reserved.

One child after another stepped onto the Spirit Root Testing Platform to begin the examination of their own Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation that determines a cultivator's talent and affinity for absorbing spiritual energy].

"A Spiritual Root has manifested!"

Moments later, radiant light and colorful auras blossomed from the Spirit Root Testing Platform. A six-year-old girl stared at the brilliantly glowing platform, her face a picture of innocent bewilderment.

Overseeing the spiritual root testing were two Golden Core Realm True Persons [powerful cultivators who have condensed their spiritual energy into a solid Golden Core] from the Chen Clan. One wore robes of violet, the other was clad in azure.

The violet-robed Golden Core cultivator glanced at the girl and gave a slight, approving nod. "A Pure Water Spiritual Root of the Heavenly Spiritual Root grade [the highest grade of innate spiritual talent]. A Nascent Soul Seed [a cultivator with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul Realm] has appeared right from the start. Her future prospects are boundless."

"Come, stand behind me."

So saying, the violet-robed True Person gently guided the girl to stand behind him.

While Heavenly Spiritual Root talents were exceedingly rare and would be nurtured as True Lord seeds [cultivators groomed for leadership and high realms] in many Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [powerful clans led by Nascent Soul cultivators], within the Chen Immortal Clan, such a discovery could not truly stir the clan's highest echelons.

Given the current Deep-Seated Foundation [profound and unshakable foundational strength] of the Chen Immortal Clan, a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root needed only to follow the established path of cultivation. Breaking through to the Golden Core Realm was practically a foregone conclusion, and they possessed a significant chance of later attaining the Nascent Soul Realm.

As for whether they could advance further still, achieving the stature of a True Lord who commands awe across a region, that would depend entirely on whether their myself own drive and fortune were sufficient.

If one can achieve Self-Guided Foundation Establishment [a rare and superior method of advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm without external aid], subdue the Mortal Tribulation [a critical trial faced by cultivators to shed their mortal limitations], and break through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a spiritual sea within their dantian], or even forge a Superior Golden Core [the highest grade of the Golden Core realm, representing immense potential], then the True Lord [a title for cultivators who have reached the Golden Core realm] and Dao Lord [a title for cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul realm and comprehended profound Dao principles] of the Chen Immortal Clan will naturally provide their full support.

If one cannot, then even if you are a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate spiritual aptitude], you will not receive Heavenly Dao Qi [a supreme-grade spiritual energy aligned with the Heavenly Dao] or Earthly Dao Essence [a supreme-grade spiritual essence aligned with the Earthly Dao]. If you wish to use a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in the formation of a Nascent Soul], you will have to wait in line.

Strictly speaking, the Chen Immortal Clan actually places greater value on cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots [a spiritual root type possessing affinity for multiple elements, often leading to greater versatility and potential]. This is especially true for those with Multiple Spiritual Roots who forge a Superior Golden Core; they receive the clan's full support, with priority access to Heavenly Dao Qi and Earthly Dao Essence.

However, these cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots only draw the attention of the clan's upper echelons after they have successfully condensed a Superior Golden Core.

It is exceedingly rare for a situation during a Spiritual Root [the innate conduit within a person that determines their aptitude for absorbing and refining spiritual energy] testing ceremony to shock the clan's high-ranking members.

Generally speaking, only a peerless Heaven's Chosen [a title for a prodigy blessed by heaven with extraordinary talent and fortune] who possesses a Dao Body [a rare and powerful innate physique with a profound affinity for the Dao] is capable of causing such a stir among the clan's leadership.

Peerless Heaven's Chosen who possess a Dao Body are extremely rare. Each one is a seed capable of growing into a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul [the highest grade of Nascent Soul, formed in perfect harmony with the Heavenly Dao], and thus a seed for a future Nascent Soul Dao Lord.

Among the Chen Clan's current three hundred-plus Nascent Soul Dao Lord, nearly half possess a Dao Body.

Although among these Dao Lord, the majority possess only an Inferior Dao Body or a Medium Dao Body, with Superior Grade Dao Body being exceptionally rare, their rate of success still far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators.

Returning to the matter at hand, although one Heavenly Spiritual Root was discovered, the Spirit Root Testing Assembly [a ceremony held to test the spiritual roots of the clan's youth] continued to proceed.

With the aid of the Spirit Root Testing Platform [a mystical platform used to detect a person's innate spiritual aptitude], the Chen Immortal Clan found the task of detecting Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation that determines one's potential for cultivation] to be exceedingly simple.

The children merely had to step onto the Spirit Root Testing Platform one by one. Any child possessing a Spiritual Root would be detected without fail, leaving no room for error or omission.

As the procession of children continued, thousands had already passed over the Spirit Root Testing Platform before anyone realized it, revealing several dozen youngsters blessed with a Spiritual Root.

The Golden Core True Person [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, a solidified mass of spiritual energy within the dantian] stroked his beard and gave a slight nod. "We have only tested a small portion today, yet we have already found thirty-seven Cultivation Seed [a term for a child with spiritual root, a seed of future cultivation talent]," he remarked.

"Combined with the results from the previous days, it seems this year we may yield around five hundred Immortal Sprout [another term for a child with spiritual root, likened to a sprouting seedling of immortality]," he added.

Another Golden Core True Person, clad in azure robes, nodded with a faint smile. "This Liang City has a population of merely one million, yet it can produce five hundred Cultivation Seed in a single year." This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel`com.

"Within the Great Desolate Ancestral Domain, there are over three thousand cities of this scale. Liang City is but a minor town, far from the colossal metropolises that house tens of millions," he continued.

The violet-robed Golden Core True Person smiled thoughtfully. "I recall last year's statistics. Across the Great Desolate Ancestral Domain within the Great Wilderness, a total of one million, eight hundred and thirty thousand Cultivation Seed were recorded."

"This Great Desolate Ancestral Domain was once merely a vast Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness. It is simply the earliest 'Mortal Domain' [a designated territory for mortal populations to live and thrive under the protection of an immortal clan] our Chen Clan established," he explained.

"Across the Myriad Ruins Continent, spanning hundreds of millions of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], there are several dozen such 'Mortal Domain'. Furthermore, within the countless spiritual lands our Chen Clan occupies, mortals flourish and multiply in varying numbers," he concluded.

"Calculating thus, it is difficult to fathom how many cultivators are born each year within our Chen Immortal Clan."

The Azure-Robed True Person nodded, took a deep breath, and spoke with immense reverence: "It must number in the hundreds of millions, surely?"

"I once had the fortune to visit the Green Carriage Mountain Ancestral Vein. Within that Ancestral Vein [a supreme concentration of spiritual energy and ley lines], cultivators truly are as numerous as raindrops. Even those of our rank, Golden Core True Person [cultivators who have formed a solidified Golden Core of spiritual power], are but a single drop in that vast ocean."

"Our Chen Clan has dominated the Purple Mansion Seventeen Thousand Years [a vast and ancient cultivation domain] for generations. Cultivators emerge in endless succession, and from among them, there are always those who rise above the rest, achieving the status of True Lord [a powerful cultivator lord] or even Dao Lord [a master of a profound Dao path], who gaze down upon the ages. No one truly knows the unfathomable depth of the Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and accumulated legacy] we have amassed."

"Although we have attained the Dao and become True Persons, with lifespans nearing a thousand years, if we cannot advance further, in the eyes of the clan's Ancient Ancestor [venerable progenitors of immense age and power], we are merely a fleeting wisp of cloud."

"Indeed." The Violet-Robed Elder nodded, a bitter smile on his face. "Within the clan, Purple Mansion [a major cultivation stage] and Golden Core cultivators are as common as the hairs on an ox. You and I are but ordinary among them."

The two True Persons felt both a sense of helplessness and immense pride.

With their power, if they ventured into the wider world, they could easily claim a Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy] and reign as Golden Core Ancestor [a founding patriarch of the Golden Core realm], commanding awe across an entire nation.

Yet, in the view of the true upper echelons of the Chen Immortal Clan, they were considered merely unremarkable. Perhaps only by breaking through to Nascent Soul [the realm where one forms an infant spiritual soul] could one barely be counted among the middle ranks. They truly amounted to little.

Born into such a glorious Chen Immortal Clan, they naturally swelled with pride. Beings of their stature, if they stepped beyond the clan's borders, would be received with courtesy even by ordinary True Lord.

This was not due to their own strength, but rather the prestige of the noble surname Chen Clan.

"Cultivators fall like rain, and Heaven's Chosen emerge in every generation."

"The fortunes of this Great Desolate Ancestral Domain are at their zenith; it is only fitting that the Chen Clan prospers."

From a distance, Eldrin Chen observed all of this, a slight nod of approval forming in his heart.

The testing for Spiritual Root [the innate talent that determines one's capacity for cultivation] continued. Beside Eldrin Chen, a middle-aged man also stood, leading a young child by the hand.

Watching the line ahead grow shorter, the man could not help but voice his anxiety, his face etched with worry: "I wonder if this boy of mine will possess a Spiritual Root?" Continue reading this story at audi0-n0vel.c0m.