Chapter 54 : A Patriarch's Pivotal Choice

"There is no need to investigate further. He has already fled."

Lyra Jiang [the Ancient Ancestor of Heaven's Ruin Mountain] stated calmly. Just moments before, she had ordered another sweep for survivors, confirming that among the seven slain Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have built their spiritual foundation], one had faked his death to escape.

After speaking, her gaze swept over the assembled group. "For the next few months, I will be secluding myself to refine Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]. You may settle your battle merits with the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion."

"Once the Foundation Establishment Pill [elixirs] are completed, I will allocate them appropriately for compensation and rewards."

The crowd offered their thanks in unison before filing out. Eldrin Chen and the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan], however, were specifically asked to remain.

Within the Spirit Pool Cave Abode [a cultivation cave dwelling centered around a pool of concentrated spiritual energy] on Celestial Ruins Mountain, Lyra Jiang first looked at Eldrin Chen, then turned her gaze to the Old Patriarch.

"In this battle, you alone held back over thirty Second Rank Demonic Beast [demonic creatures equivalent in power to Foundation Establishment cultivators] for two Ke-time [approximately thirty minutes]. Your actions were pivotal to our victory."

"My initial thought was to reward you with three Foundation Establishment Pill [elixirs] once they were refined. However, upon further reflection, I wished to consult you."

She paused briefly before continuing. "Is there any other reward you desire?"

Upon hearing this, the Old Patriarch exchanged a glance with Eldrin Chen, then replied with palpable excitement, "Might we exchange the three Foundation Establishment Pill [elixirs] for Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of Separated Flame, used in high-level cultivation and artifact forging]?" For the best reading experience, visit *audio-novel.com*.

"Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of the Separated Flame]?" Lyra Jiang's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Chen Thalion. "You are at the Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer, and you are already preparing for your breakthrough to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual core]?"

The Li Fire Crystal is exceedingly precious. It can be used to forge magical treasures and refine elixirs, and it can also assist cultivators with a Fire Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for fire-element spiritual energy] in breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm. It can increase a fire-attributed cultivator's chances of a successful breakthrough by twenty percent.

Chen Thalion possesses Metal-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots [innate affinities for both metal and fire elements]. If he obtained the Li Fire Crystal, his future chances of breaking through to the Purple Mansion could reach thirty to forty percent. No wonder Lyra Jiang thought of this.

Hearing her words, Chen Thalion shook his head with a faint smile. "This junior's breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm is still at least three or four decades away. How would I dare to keep such a treasure on my person for long?"

"I intend to use this object to forge a Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sword bound to its wielder's life force and soul, growing in power with them] for my grandson here."

"Granduncle..." Eldrin Chen's expression shifted, and he began to speak.

The Old Patriarch stopped him, his voice resolute. "A treasure's value means little if one lacks the fate to wield it."

"With the strength of our Chen Clan, trying to safeguard the Li Fire Crystal for three or four decades would be a fool's dream. It is far better to let you refine it into the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss."

"Furthermore," he continued, "I once promised you that if there was ever a chance to obtain a Li Fire Crystal, the clan would spare no effort to find one for you."

Eldrin Chen listened in silence, a complex surge of emotions stirring within his heart. He could only commit all these feelings to memory, holding them deep within.

Lyra Jiang observed everything with a knowing glint in her eyes. Only after the two had finished their discussion did she speak.

"Exchanging three Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] for one Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of the Separated Flame] is indeed a fair trade."

"A few years ago, a Li Fire Crystal was born within the Underground Fire Vein. I had not yet found a use for it, so consider this your fortunate destiny."

"I agree to this arrangement."

As she spoke, she retrieved a crystal emitting a hazy, ethereal light and handed it to them.

Eldrin Chen accepted the Li Fire Crystal, his heart surging with emotion. A treasure of this caliber was exceedingly rare, enough to stir envy even among ordinary Purple Mansion Cultivator [cultivators who have reached the Purple Mansion Realm].

Strictly speaking, this exchange was a gain for them. While a Foundation Establishment Pill could be valued at thirty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] on the open market, its internal price within major factions hovered around ten thousand Spirit Stone.

However, because ordinary immortal clans lacked the means to refine Foundation Establishment Pill, supply could not meet demand, often driving the price to a staggering twenty or thirty thousand Spirit Stone.

During the period of the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic calamity where hordes of demonic beasts surge forth], if the harvest of Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [demonic beasts of the Purple Mansion Realm] was plentiful, the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill could drop to around fifteen thousand Spirit Stone.

After all, the Purple Mansion [a major cultivation realm following Foundation Establishment] inner core of a demonic beast remained viable for only three to five years, and a Foundation Establishment Pill had a shelf life of merely a decade. When large batches were refined at once, the price naturally fell.

With Lyra Jiang's Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs], the cost of each Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] could be controlled to around six to eight thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. Therefore, for her, the Foundation Establishment Pill was scarce in materials, but if calculated at an internal price, it was not considered exceptionally precious.

The price of a Li Fire Crystal [a crystalized essence of the Separated Flame, used for cultivation breakthroughs] typically hovered around fifty thousand Spirit Stone, and generally, the premium would not exceed eighty thousand Spirit Stone. The problem was that this item was essentially impossible to purchase within the Chu Kingdom.

The essence of Separated Flame [a potent and rare spiritual flame] within the Chu Kingdom was only produced by the few Underground Fire Vein [subterranean channels of concentrated fire energy] belonging to the Three Great Sects and Celestial Ruins Mountain. Essentially, every time it appeared, it drove the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators [cultivators at the advanced stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm] from major powers into a frenzy, compelling them to exhaust all means to exchange for it.

Thus, by changing the reward from a Foundation Establishment Pill to a Li Fire Crystal, the two of them could be considered to have profited handsomely.

Watching the two excitedly put away their Li Fire Crystal, Lyra Jiang gave a slight nod. Her gaze then turned to Eldrin Chen.

"You helped Elara break the stalemate. Your contribution is not small, and you expended a precious talisman," she said. The complete novel can be found at audio-novel . com.

"Very well. After the Foundation Establishment Pill is refined, I shall reserve one for you as well. Additionally, I will give you one Meridian Nourishing Pill [a pill that heals and strengthens the body's energy channels]."

Eldrin Chen's eyes brightened, and he nodded with delight. He knew this Meridian Nourishing Pill was intended for Chen Thalion.

The Old Patriarch had sustained meridian injuries this time. Although not severe, it would require several years of recuperation. Now, with this Meridian Nourishing Pill, he would likely recover in less than a month.

Thinking of this, he promptly expressed his gratitude: "My sincere thanks."

"Go," Lyra Jiang [the female cultivator] said with a flick of her sleeve, tossing a medicine vial over.

Having obtained the Meridian Nourishing Pill [a pill that repairs and nourishes damaged cultivation meridians], the two men bid farewell to Jiang the Ancient Ancestor [a powerful senior cultivator] and departed from within the Spirit Pool Cave Abode [a cave dwelling centered around a pool of concentrated spiritual energy].

After returning to the inn, Chen Thalion [the old patriarch of the Chen Clan] began a period of secluded cultivation to ingest the Meridian Nourishing Pill and heal his wounds, while Eldrin Chen [the young protagonist] stood guard for him.

In the blink of an eye, over a month passed. The Old Patriarch emerged from his secluded chamber, and the two finally had time to discuss matters.

Having recovered from his injuries, the Old Patriarch said with great satisfaction, "This time, we obtained the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of the Li Fire, a powerful spiritual flame]. This item is far too precious; carrying it back with us might invite danger."

"I think it would be better to use the Earthfire Artificer's Workshop [a specialized forge that channels underground fire veins for crafting magical items] at Celestial Ruins Mountain to successfully forge your Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a lifebound immortal sword of the Li Fire attribute] before we depart."

"I was thinking the same," Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. "But I am neither a formation master nor an artificer. Forging this Lifebound Immortal Sword [a cultivator's personal sword, bound to their soul and grown with them] will still require the Old Granduncle [a respectful term for a senior elder] to assist me."

Chen Thalion laughed heartily, stroking his long beard. "That is a simple matter."

The initial grade of a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force, growing in power with them] is often not very high, so the difficulty of its initial forging is usually not great. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss is the same in this regard.

However, as a top-tier immortal sword, its materials and forging method are exceptionally precious and unique, making it considerably more challenging to craft than an ordinary Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Particularly, the Li Fire Crystal [a crystal born from the essence of subterranean fire] was conceived within the earth's fiery veins. To refine it required the aid of a Third Rank Earthfire [a potent, third-grade spiritual flame drawn from deep within the earth] and a high-grade artificer's furnace. This necessitated renting one of the Earthfire Artificer's Workshop [specialized workshops built over potent earthfire veins for crafting magical items] at Celestial Ruins Mountain.

To secure a workshop, the two soon sought out their acquaintance, Liu Seraphina.

This time, Liu Seraphina was exceptionally cordial. Upon learning their purpose, she smiled and said, "There are only three Third Rank Earthfire Artificer's Workshop at Celestial Ruins Mountain. The finest one is currently occupied by my master, who is within refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids cultivators in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]."

"As for the other two earthfire chambers, one is of Third Rank Middle Grade potency, and the other is of third rank low grade. Which would you prefer to rent?"

Chen Thalion offered a slight smile. "Our task this time is to forge a Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's soul, growing in power with them], and we will require the use of a Third Rank Artificer's Furnace [a furnace capable of withstanding and channeling third-grade spiritual flames]. Might you know which chamber is equipped with one?" Discover more cultivation stories at audio–novel.com.