Chapter 34 : The First Alchemy Success

After obtaining the Alchemy Tome [a book containing profound knowledge of pill concoction], Eldrin Chen was burning with impatience to advance his Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills]. Unwilling to linger any longer at the Yuyang Market, he departed early the very next morning.

Upon returning to Spirit Isle Lake [the island at the heart of the spiritual lake], he spent two months meticulously studying the Alchemy Tome several times over before finally beginning his pill concoction.

Endowed with exceptional talent, he already possessed some confidence in refining the Qi Restoration Pill [a pill that restores expended spiritual energy]. Now, with the guidance of the predecessor's Alchemy Tome, his conviction grew even stronger.

The process of refining the Qi Restoration Pill lasted for three days. The initial two days of simmering the medicinal essences proceeded smoothly. Using a gentle flame to refine the herbs, he successfully extracted six portions of medicinal liquid.

It was on the third day that Eldrin Chen, seated before the Alchemy Furnace [a specialized vessel for pill refinement], revealed a look of intense concentration. The refined essence of the medicinal liquid was ready, and the crucial moment of condensing the liquid into solid pills had arrived.

"Success or failure hinges on this very moment."

With a low murmur, Eldrin Chen channeled his pill-concocting technique to initiate condensation. As the Alchemy Furnace trembled, three of the six liquid portions dissipated into smoke.

He had no time to lament the loss, focusing entirely on the task of solidifying the remaining liquid. In the end, three luminous pills successfully coalesced.

Eldrin Chen hastily channeled his True Qi [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner] to lift the furnace lid. Three crystalline, translucent pills flew out, catching the light.

"Success!" The complete novel can be found at audio–novel.com.

He snatched the three pills [a refined medicinal pellet used for cultivation] in his grasp, his face alight with joy.

For his first attempt at refining a First Rank High Grade pill, to actually succeed with three pills was a result far beyond Eldrin Chen's expectations.

For most, their initial attempts at First Rank High Grade pills yielded a Pill Success Rate of merely ten or twenty percent. He had thought producing two would be a fortunate surprise, never dreaming he would refine three from a single batch.

"Three pills from one batch—while luck played a part—it also signifies my foundation is already quite deep."

"With my Alchemy [the art of refining medicinal pills], after refining a few more batches of high-grade pills, I should far surpass Uncle Cedric."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself. Having studied Chen Cedric's notes, he could roughly gauge Chen Cedric's skill level, finding it to be nearly on par with his own.

After finishing the Qi Restoration Pill [a pill that restores expended spiritual energy], his cultivation routine settled back into tranquility.

In the days that followed, after his daily absorption of Primordial Essence [the purest form of spiritual energy from the dawn], he would spend his time tempering his own meridians while advancing his Alchemy.

Occasionally, he would strum his zither, feed the Spirit Fish [fish infused with spiritual energy] and the purple-striped geese, tend to spiritual flowers, and nurture spirit herbs. His days passed in peaceful serenity.

It continued thus until two months later. While Eldrin Chen was feeding the newly hatched goslings from the second brood, he saw a dark eagle soaring across the sky towards him.

"A Messenger Eagle."

As the Messenger Eagle alighted before him, he swiftly plucked the letter from its talon. After a single glance, his expression turned grave, and he tucked the missive away.

"Has something happened at Verdant Chariot Mountain?"

Chen Dorian scattered a handful of Spirit Rice for the eagle. Noticing the shift in Eldrin's demeanor, he could not help but ask.

Eldrin Chen nodded, gently stroking the small Purple-Striped Wild Goose before him before replying.

"Word has come from the Green Sun Sect."

"Uncle Corin has sent a letter. The clan summons me back to Verdant Chariot Mountain to discuss the matter."

"Corin..." Chen Dorian's eyes flickered with a spark of hope. "Could it be he has obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]?"

"The details were not in the letter. We must return to Verdant Chariot Mountain to learn the truth."

Eldrin Chen brushed his hands together, sensing the matter was not so simple. Otherwise, the Third Elder would not have summoned him back for counsel.

"It seems I must return to Verdant Chariot Mountain for a time. I shall trouble you to watch over Spirit Isle Lake in my stead during this period."

Old Granduncle nodded. "With me here, you can set your mind at ease regarding this place."

"…"

When Eldrin Chen returned to Verdant Chariot Mountain, he found that, aside from the Grand Elder who was stationed in Pingyang Town, all the high-ranking members of the clan had already assembled.

Within the Clan Affairs Hall, the Second Elder, Riverius Chen; the Third Elder, Lior Chen; the Fourth Elder, Chen Alistair; and the Fifth Elder, Chen Elara—along with Eldrin Chen himself—all five elders at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer were present.

The Third Elder saw Eldrin Chen and gave a slight, approving nod before speaking. Official source: audio_novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

"Now that everyone is here, I shall begin," he said.

"Not long ago, Chen Corin sent word back from the Green Sun Sect. He reported that the sect has recently completed the alchemical refinement of three batches of Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]."

Upon hearing this, expressions of delight spread across the faces of all present.

The Green Sun Sect refined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pill every ten years, typically producing between three to five batches each time. This was the greatest opportunity for Qi Refinement Cultivators within the Green Sun Sect.

Second Elder Riverius Chen stroked his long beard and laughed heartily. "Among our Qing Generation, Qingyuan's Immortal Fate [the destined opportunity to walk the path of immortality] is truly the most fortuitous!"

Eldrin Chen listened quietly. As the Clan Patriarch, he understood perfectly the reason for their joy.

For the great Chu Kingdom sect, the Green Sun Sect, owed the Chen Clan one Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm].

This matter traced its origins back Sixty Years Ago. During the outbreak of the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic, devastating invasion by hordes of demonic beasts] over sixty years prior, the great Chu Kingdom sect, the Green Sun Sect, had conscripted cultivators from three of the kingdom's provinces to combat the demonic beasts.

To ensure human cultivators set aside their grievances and united against the common foe, the Green Sun Sect had forged a covenant with the major Immortal Clans [powerful families dedicated to cultivation] and Rogue Cultivators [cultivators without sect or clan affiliation] upon Green Sun Mountain.

According to the covenant's terms, all spoils from the conflict—including demonic beast materials and inner cores—were to be collected and distributed uniformly by the Green Sun Sect.

After the battle concluded, the Green Sun Sect would refine these materials into magical tools and Foundation Establishment Pills [precious elixirs that aid cultivators in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm], distributing them to the participating cultivators based on their military merits.

In this system of allocation, the Green Sun Sect claimed the lion's share of the benefits, and thus naturally bore the responsibility for compensating the losses suffered in battle.

Therefore, a special clause was inscribed within the covenant: if any Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their spiritual foundation, a major milestone] fell in battle against the demonic beasts, the Green Sun Sect was obligated to compensate their surviving clan with one Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm].

This provision was established to prevent Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual foundation, a major milestone] from acting out of cowardice or holding back their strength in the fight.

This single contract would later be known within the Chu Kingdom cultivation world as the Green Sun Covenant.

The Green Sun Covenant was, in essence, a noble agreement. Yet, in the face of potential gain, some minds inevitably turned to scheming.

In that fateful battle, the Chen Immortal Clan's elite forces were decimated in a single night. Not only did both of their Foundation Establishment Cultivator perish, but the Purple Sun Jade [a legendary artifact of immense spiritual power] vanished without a trace.

Such a staggering loss was nearly unbearable. However, the Green Sun Sect used the excuse that no one had witnessed their deaths at the hands of demonic beasts to circumvent the treaty of the Green Sun Covenant, refusing to provide the promised Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that enables a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm].

At the time, seven or eight immortal clans, including the Chen Immortal Clan, suffered similar grievous losses from this loophole, their fortunes declining precipitously from that point onward.

The affair caused a major uproar. A dozen or more Foundation Establishment immortal clans, fearing they would share the same fate, united in protest.

It was only after Jiang the Ancient Ancestor of Heaven's Ruin Mountain intervened that the Green Sun Sect relented, agreeing to compensate for half the losses.

It is worth noting that from then on, Jiang the Ancient Ancestor's standing within the Chu Kingdom soared. Many immortal clans and Rogue Cultivator held her in higher esteem than the Green Sun Sect itself.

Returning to the main thread, the Green Sun Sect agreed to supply the Chen Clan with one Foundation Establishment Pill, but on the condition that the recipient must have been inducted into the Green Sun Sect from childhood.

For the sake of that single Foundation Establishment Pill, the clan was forced to make a painful sacrifice. They allowed Chen Corin, the most gifted talent of the Qing Generation, to be sent away to join the Green Sun Sect as a young child.

Chen Corin possessed the rare and synergistic Fire-Earth dual Spiritual Root [the innate channels that determine one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy and cultivating the Dao]. His cultivation speed was second only to those with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the pinnacle of innate talent, allowing for exceptionally swift cultivation] or an anomalous Spiritual Root. Blessed with exceptional talent, he had already broken through to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer [the ninth and penultimate stage of the initial Qi Refinement realm] by the age of twenty-nine. Original publication: site: audio-novel.com - The source of this chapter.