Chapter 34 : The First Pill's Brilliance

After obtaining the Alchemy Manual [a book detailing the art of pill concoction], Eldrin Chen was eager to advance his alchemical skills and had no desire to linger at the Sunward Market [a bustling trade hub for cultivators]. Early the very next morning, he departed from the market.

Upon returning to Spirit Isle Lake [his family's spiritual abode], he spent two months meticulously studying the manual several times over before finally beginning his pill concoction.

His innate talent already gave him some confidence in refining the Energy Recovery Pill [a pill that restores a cultivator's expended spiritual energy]. With the insights from the predecessor's manual, his confidence grew even firmer.

The refinement of the Energy Recovery Pill lasted for three days. The initial two days of simmering the medicinal ingredients into liquid essence proceeded smoothly. Using a gentle flame, he successfully extracted six portions of the refined medicinal liquid.

By the third day, a look of intense concentration settled on Eldrin Chen's face as he sat before the alchemical cauldron. The liquid essence had been perfectly refined, and the critical moment of condensing the liquid into solid pills had arrived.

"Success or failure hinges on this moment," he murmured to himself.

With a low utterance, Eldrin Chen activated his pill-condensing technique. The cauldron trembled, and three of the six liquid orbs dissipated into smoke.

He had no time to lament the loss, focusing entirely on solidifying the remaining essence. In the end, three lustrous pills successfully coalesced.

Eldrin Chen swiftly channeled his Vital Energy [the foundational life force cultivated by practitioners] to lift the cauldron lid. Three crystalline, translucent pills flew out into his waiting hand.

"Success!" This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio~novel.com.

He snatched the three pills in one swift motion, his face alight with joy.

For his first attempt at refining a first-grade superior pill, to succeed in producing three pills was a result far beyond Eldrin Chen's expectations.

For most people attempting a first-grade superior pill for the first time, the success rate was typically only ten to twenty percent. He had thought producing two pills would be a pleasant surprise, never imagining he would refine three from a single batch.

"Refining three pills from one batch, while partly due to fortune, also signifies the depth of my accumulated skill."

"With my current alchemical arts, after refining a few more batches of superior-grade pills, I should far surpass Uncle Verdant Bud."

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself. Having studied Verdant Bud Chen's notes, he could roughly gauge that Verdant Bud Chen's skill level was currently on par with his own.

After finishing the Energy Recovery Pill, his cultivation routine settled back into tranquility.

In the days that followed, after his daily absorption of the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [the supreme foundational energy of creation], he would spend his time tempering his meridians and honing his alchemical arts.

Occasionally, he would play his zither, feed the Spirit Fish and the Violet-Striped Geese, tend to spiritual flowers, and nurture spirit herbs. His days flowed by in peaceful serenity.

Two months later, while Eldrin Chen was feeding the newly hatched second brood of young Violet-Striped Goose, he saw a dark eagle soaring across the sky towards him.

"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 Green Chariot Mountain?"

Eternal Spread Chen scattered a handful of Spirit Rice for the eagle. Noticing the shift in his companion's demeanor, he couldn't help but ask.

Eldrin Chen gave a nod, gently stroking the small Violet-Striped Goose before him. "A message from the Verdant Sun Sect," he said.

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

"Verdant Origin." A flicker of hope crossed Eternal Spread Chen's face. "Could it be he has obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"The details weren't in the letter. We'll only know for certain once we return to Green Chariot Mountain."

Eldrin Chen dusted off his hands, a sense of foreboding settling upon him. The matter couldn't be so simple, otherwise the Third Elder would not have summoned him back for counsel.

"It seems I must return to Green Chariot Mountain for a time. I must trouble you to watch over Spirit Isle Lake for me during this period."

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

"..."

When Eldrin Chen returned to Green 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, Clear River Chen, the Third Elder, Lior Chen, the Fourth Elder, Verdant Destiny Chen, and the Fifth Elder, Verdant Grace Chen, along with Eldrin Chen himself—all five Elders at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of refining one's vital life energy] were present.

The Third Elder saw Eldrin Chen and gave a slight, approving nod before speaking.

"Now that everyone is here, I shall begin." Join our community of readers at site: audio-novel.com.

"Not long ago, Verdant Origin sent word back through a messenger from the Verdant Sun Sect. He reported that the sect has recently completed the refinement of three batches of Foundation Establishment Pills [pills that aid cultivators in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm]."

Upon hearing this, expressions of joy blossomed on everyone's faces.

The Verdant Sun Sect refines a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills every ten years, typically producing between three to five batches each time. This represents the greatest opportunity for Vital Essence Refinement [the initial stage of cultivation focused on refining one's vital energy] cultivators within the sect.

Second Elder Clear River Chen stroked his long beard and laughed heartily. "Among our Verdant Generation [the current generation of the Chen Clan], Verdant Origin's Immortal Fate [the destiny or potential for achieving immortality] is truly the most exceptional!"

Eldrin Chen listened quietly. As a family Elder, he understood perfectly the reason for their joy.

It was because the great sect of Chu Nation, the Verdant Sun Sect, owed the Chen Clan a single Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm].

The matter traced back sixty years. Over six decades ago, a Beast Tide [a massive, destructive surge of demonic beasts] erupted. To resist the demonic beasts, the great Verdant Sun Sect of Chu Nation conscripted cultivators from three of the nation's prefectures to join the battle.

At that time, to ensure the Human Race cultivators set aside their differences and united against the common foe, the Verdant Sun Sect established a covenant with the various Immortal Clan [powerful, cultivation-focused families] and rogue cultivators atop Green Sun Mountain.

According to the covenant's terms, all spoils from the battle—including demonic beast materials and Inner Pill [the condensed energy core of a high-level demonic beast]—were to be collected and distributed uniformly by the Verdant Sun Sect.

After the conflict concluded, the Verdant Sun Sect would refine these materials into magical artifacts and Foundation Establishment Pill [elixirs for the Foundation Establishment realm], distributing them to the participating cultivators based on their military merits.

In this allocation process, since the Verdant Sun Sect claimed the lion's share of the benefits, it also bore the responsibility for compensating the losses suffered in the battle.

Thus, a special clause was included in the covenant: if any Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their cultivation foundation] fell in battle to the demonic beasts, the Verdant Sun Sect was obligated to compensate their family with one Foundation Establishment Pill.

This provision was designed to prevent Foundation Establishment Cultivator from acting out of cowardice or shirking their duties on the battlefield.

This written pact later came to be known in the Chu Nation Cultivation World as the Green Sun Covenant [a historic agreement between major powers to jointly combat demonic beasts].

The Green Sun Covenant was fundamentally well-intentioned, yet in the face of profit, some always harbored selfish schemes.

In that battle long ago, the elite forces of the Chen Immortal Clan were decimated in a single night. Not only did both of their Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have solidified their cultivation foundation] perish, but even the Purple Sun Jade [a mysterious artifact of great power] vanished without a trace.

Such a colossal loss was nearly unbearable. Yet, the Verdant Sun Sect used the excuse that no one had witnessed their members being slain by demonic beasts to evade the terms of the Green Sun Covenant, refusing to pay the promised Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in achieving the Foundation Establishment realm].

At that time, including the Chen Immortal Clan, seven or eight Immortal Clan [powerful cultivation families] suffered similar, grievous losses from which they never recovered.

The affair caused a major uproar. Fearing they would share the same fate if one fell, over a dozen Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [Immortal Clans led by Foundation Establishment cultivators] jointly voiced their opposition.

It was only after Patriarch Jiang of Heavenly Ruins Mountain intervened that the Verdant Sun Sect relented, agreeing to compensate for half the losses.

It is worth noting that from then on, Patriarch Jiang's standing within Chu Nation soared. Many Immortal Clan members and rogue cultivators came to respect her more than they did the Verdant Sun Sect itself.

To return to the main thread, the Verdant 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 Verdant Sun Sect from childhood.

For the sake of that single Foundation Establishment Pill, the clan had no choice but to painfully allow Verdant Origin Chen, the most talented of the Verdant Generation, to be sent to join the Verdant Sun Sect from a very young age.

Verdant Origin Chen possessed a dual Spiritual Root of the Fire and Earth elements, which mutually generate each other. His cultivation speed was second only to those with a Heavenly Spiritual Root or a Variant Spiritual Root. Endowed with exceptional talent, he had already broken through to the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier at the age of twenty-nine. This novel is serialized on site: audio-novel.com. Visit for updates.