Chapter 31 : A Legacy of Wisdom and Tears

For the first dozen or so years of his cultivation journey, it was Chen Dorian who had guided him, imparting the Dao and resolving his doubts. Their bond was less that of clansmen separated by generations, and more akin to the profound, substantive connection between a true master and disciple.

Chen Changqing had passed away several years prior. Now, the person closest to Eldrin Chen was this elder, who had lived for over one hundred and thirteen years.

"At least you remember the years I spent teaching you the path of cultivation. It shows you still have a conscience, boy."

"You were so young back then, yet the quietest and most perceptive. I recall the first time I taught you the meridians and acupoints [the energy channels and vital nodes within a cultivator's body]; you memorized them all after a single hearing."

"That's when I told your Seventh Granduncle, 'This child is born with a wise root. The future of the Chen Clan may very well rest upon his shoulders.'"

The old man chuckled as he recounted these fragmented memories, yet the rims of his eyes grew faintly red.

Eldrin Chen listened in silence. When the elder's reminiscing finally trailed off, Eldrin offered a gentle smile. "Old Granduncle, why not stay here at Spirit Isle Lake?"

"Stay at Spirit Isle Lake?" The old granduncle was taken aback.

"Mm." Eldrin Chen nodded, his hand resting on Silas's small head. "The scenery here at Spirit Isle Lake is exquisite, both mountain and water. It's a fine place to spend one's twilight years."

"You could tend flowers, plant herbs, fish by the lake, read scrolls, and keep an eye on these two little ones while you're at it." The story continues at audio-novel .c om.

Chen Dorian pondered earnestly for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the two young ones before a kindly smile graced his features.

"I truly cannot rest easy leaving these two," he said.

"And my own time is short now. It is right for the clan to pass the mantle of legacy to the Qing Generation."

Hearing this, a glimmer of warmth lit within Eldrin Chen's eyes.

'In my youth, you cared for me diligently, enlightened my mind, and guided my first steps upon the path of cultivation [the practice of refining one's body and spirit to ascend towards immortality].'

'Now that your years have grown long, let me care for you on this final journey.'

"..."

The path of cultivation is a long and arduous road.

For a cultivator, time flows like a murmuring stream, its passage subtle and imperceptible as it slips steadily by.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Eldrin Chen was now twenty years old, and this year marked the fifth since he had descended the mountain to Spirit Isle Lake.

On this day, Eldrin Chen sat cross-legged by the shore of Lake Heart Island, devouring the Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things] of the dawn's violet light. He continued until the morning glow had completely dispersed, then fused that dawn Qi with the lunar essence he had absorbed the previous night. From this fusion, he finally refined a single wisp of Primordial Essence [the purest, most foundational form of spiritual energy], only then opening his eyes.

"Haa—"

Exhaling a breath of mist, Eldrin Chen slowly concluded his cultivation session.

Sensing the cluster of Primordial Essence within his body, a faint smile touched his lips. For years, he had never neglected his daily practice of absorbing the dawn's Qi and the moon's essence. Now, he was close to accumulating another full measure of Primordial Essence.

"Just another two or three months, and this measure of Primordial Essence should be fully formed."

"Once it brims with Primordial Essence, the speed at which I temper my meridians will increase significantly."

These years, his diligence had been unwavering. Furthermore, treasures like the Spirit Peach [a fruit imbued with spiritual energy that aids cultivation] had accelerated his progress. Astonishingly, advancing from the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer had taken him a mere five years.

Now, his True Qi [the refined energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] had completely filled his meridians, reaching the absolute limit of what his body could contain. Continuing at this pace, he estimated he would reach the threshold for attempting a Foundation Establishment breakthrough in just one or two more years.

Currently, he reckoned he needed only about two more years of work to temper his meridians to their ultimate limit. At that point, the resilience and strength of his meridian network would far surpass that of an ordinary cultivator, granting him the true capital to attempt the Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

"In about two more years, I should be able to attempt my breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment realm [the second major stage of cultivation where one solidifies their spiritual foundation]."

"However, without a Foundation Establishment Pill [a special elixir that tempers and refines one's spiritual energy to make the breakthrough safer], my chances of success are only around fifty or sixty percent. The attempt remains perilous."

"If I had one of those pills, my success would be virtually assured."

"Perhaps I should wait a few more years, to see if I can obtain one?"

These thoughts flickered rapidly through Eldrin Chen's mind before he let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle.

"The closer I get to Foundation Establishment, the more I fret over gains and losses. The boat will straighten as it reaches the bridge. What use is worrying now?" Support the author by reading on audio-novel dot com.

Having completed his daily cultivation regimen, Eldrin Chen began his routine inspection of the Azure Lake's Spirit Fish [fish infused with spiritual energy, a valuable cultivation resource]. His gaze was drawn to a lone skiff gliding across the water. Three figures stood upon it, and an elderly man at the bow called out from a distance.

"Young Eldrin, it's me again!"

"Sixteenth Granduncle."

Eldrin Chen's eyes brightened with recognition, and a warm smile touched his lips as he returned the greeting.

Once more, the season of the Spirit Rice [a grain infused with spiritual energy] harvest had arrived, and as was customary, it was Chen Lucius who made the journey this year.

Sixteenth Granduncle, a man of cheerful and forthright disposition, arrived on the island with two junior clansmen in tow. Upon meeting, he announced without preamble.

"This year, I've brought you something truly special."

The elder produced a wooden box with utmost care, handling it as if it were a priceless treasure.

When Eldrin Chen opened the box, his eyes lit up with sudden delight, a look of genuine pleasure spreading across his face.

"It's Wood Sunflower [a spirit herb with wood-aligned properties]."

"Indeed," Chen Lucius replied, a smile gracing his features. "These matured just two moons ago. I plucked them fresh from the Spirit Medicine Garden [a garden dedicated to cultivating spiritual herbs] a few days back."

As he spoke, Chen Lucius's expression was bright with satisfaction.

The Wood Sunflower was a First Rank High Grade Spirit Medicine [a plant imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy], and served as the primary ingredient for refining the Qi Restoration Pill [a pill that rapidly restores a cultivator's spiritual energy].

The Qi Restoration Pill was an auxiliary spiritual pill of First Rank High Grade quality. Its effect was remarkable: upon ingestion, it could instantly restore seventy percent of the true essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] of a cultivator at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage.

This elixir [a magical pill refined through alchemy] is of immense value to Qi Refinement Cultivators [cultivators in the initial stage of gathering spiritual energy], as it can restore seventy percent of one's true essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] in a single use. For many cultivators, it is almost equivalent to gaining an extra life.

For Eldrin Chen, possessing this Qi Restoration Pill would allow him to wield the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo [an unrefined magical blade] several more times. In that case, the combat prowess he could unleash would likely rival half that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation].

"This Wood Sunflower [a spirit herb that absorbs wood-element energy] took sixty years to mature after planting; it is truly a rare find," Chen Lucius said, shaking his head with a smile as he stroked his long beard. "With this Wood Sunflower, you can attempt your breakthrough to become a First Rank High Grade Alchemist [a master of pill refinement at the peak of the first rank]."

Eldrin Chen nodded and added, "To refine the Qi Restoration Pill, we are still missing one auxiliary ingredient: the Bellheart Herb [a spirit herb with bell-shaped flowers]."

"The Bellheart Herb is easy to find," Chen Lucius replied with a gentle smile. "After we finish harvesting the Spirit Rice [rice infused with spiritual energy], I will be making a trip to the Yuyang Market. I can purchase a portion for you then."

"There's no need to trouble you with an extra trip," Eldrin Chen said, shaking his head with a laugh. "Coincidentally, this year's batch of Spirit Peach [peaches that enhance spiritual energy] has ripened. I plan to sell them at the Yuyang Market to accumulate some Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] and also purchase some Spirit Medicine [herbs used in cultivation and alchemy] while I'm there."

"That works out perfectly. We can go to the Yuyang Market together tomorrow and keep each other company."

The two chatted amiably as they made their way to Eldrin Chen's courtyard.

After a brief rest of half a Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours], everyone began harvesting the Spirit Rice.

The stalks of Spirit Rice are remarkably tough and resilient, making the harvest laborious for an ordinary cultivator. Fortunately, Eldrin Chen possessed a true essence far more potent and refined than that of a typical cultivator at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the ninth stage of gathering spiritual energy]. Thus, he managed to cleanly harvest the several Mu-area [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters] of Spirit Rice in just a little over half a day.

After the harvest of the Spirit Rice was complete, Chen Lucius turned his attention to catching Spirit Fish. Freed from the predation of other demonic beasts and having thrived for five years, the school of Azure Spirit Fish in Spirit Isle Lake had grown considerably once more.

The population of Spirit Fish had now reached two hundred and twenty-seven, an increase of eighty or ninety since Eldrin Chen first arrived.

With a larger school came a greater number of Spirit Fish available for sale each year. Chen Lucius hauled in thirty of the shimmering creatures, a pleased expression on his face as he spoke.

"This year's catch yields two more fish than last. It seems the Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] we can earn will be greater as well."

Chen Dorian stepped forward happily to lend a hand, gazing at the Spirit Fish with a smile. "These past few years, who in Yu County hasn't heard that our Chen Clan's Azure Spirit Fish are a peerless delicacy?" Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel`com.