Chapter 40 Breaking Through Foundation Establishment

Early the next morning, Eldrin sat upright in the alchemy chamber, flipping through a pill scripture.

This time, he intended to refine the Spirit-Gathering Elixir, a second-tier low-grade pill capable of instantly replenishing a cultivator's vast reserves of true essence.

According to the alchemy manual, if he had a Spirit-Gathering Pill, it might increase his chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm by 10 percent.

However, although this pill was not particularly difficult to refine, it required a rare second-level spirit fruit. Eldrin possessed no second-level spirit fruits, but having lived his previous life in an era of information explosion, he naturally understood the importance of adaptability.

He planned to combine a large quantity of first-grade spirit peaches to refine a batch of Essence-Gathering Pills. By substituting quantity for quality, the resulting pills might not match the original version's efficacy, but they should retain 50 to 60 percent of their potency—enough to increase his chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm by an additional half measure.

Without delay, Eldrin began refining the Soul Convergence Elixir after finalizing his alchemical approach.

To refine the pills, he brought out the remaining 100-some spirit peaches accumulated over the years, resolved to concoct the Soul-Gathering Elixirs in a single batch.

Although the Spirit Gathering Pill was a second-tier formula, spirit peaches were not medicinal herbs. Being free of medicinal toxins and containing very few impurities, the refinement process ranked among the simplest of all second-tier elixirs.

Eldrin refined with a gentle flame, spending over a dozen months to slowly brew a cauldron of spiritual liquid, until at last the moment of pill condensation arrived.

5 orbs of pill liquid.

"I must succeed."

Watching the spiritual liquid gradually take shape before his eyes, Eldrin felt his heart leap to his throat.

After all, this was his first attempt at refining a second-tier pill. Due to his insufficient cultivation and spiritual sense, something went awry immediately. 3 of the 5 medicinal essence clusters instantly dissipated.

Not good.

At the critical moment, Eldrin made a resolute decision, abandoning 1 of the clusters to focus entirely on refining the final orb of alchemical liquid.

The effect of focusing his mind was remarkably evident. With all his attention devoted to the liquid elixir, no further mishaps occurred, and he successfully refined this Gathering Yuan Pill.

"It's done!"

Eldrin's face lit up with ecstasy. He lifted the cauldron lid and swiftly seized the Gathering Yuan Pill, placing it into the prepared jade vial.

The successful refinement of the Soul-Gathering Pill not only increased his hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm by another half-percent, but also signified that he could now be considered a quasi Second-Rank Alchemist.

"As long as I break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, becoming a second-rank Alchemist will be as certain as sunrise."

Gazing at the Gathering Yuan Pill within the vial, a smile graced his lips. His arduous month-long efforts in alchemy had not been in vain.

Emerging from the alchemy chamber, Eldrin froze momentarily. He found the Elder Uncle had been waiting by his door for quite some time, his expression deeply troubled.

The rain poured heavily outside, the rumble of thunder unceasing. He hastily invited Old Uncle inside.

"Elder Uncle, what's wrong?"

The Elder Uncle’s expression stiffened as he handed over a letter and said,

"This is news that came from Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location) the day before yesterday."

Half a year ago, Qing Yuan failed in his Foundation Establishment and passed away at the Qingyang Sect.

"Boom—"

Eldrin felt a thunderous roar in his head, as if his very soul had been struck by a primordial bell, nearly causing him to lose his footing.

Having traveled 2 100 1000 li, battling Foundation Establishment demonic apes all the way in a desperate struggle so fierce that the Second Elder was left gravely wounded and hovering near death—all to obtain a single Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) that should have rightfully belonged to the Chen Family.

They were merely trying to reclaim the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) that the Chen family ancestor had sacrificed his life for 60 years ago, yet what they ultimately brought back was a death warrant.

Chen Qingyuan, the most talented of the Qing generation, had fallen. Corrupted by the invasive Earth Fire Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root), his meridians shattered completely, leaving his cultivation base utterly destroyed.

According to the messenger from the Qingyang Sect, the agony inflicted by the Fire Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) became so unbearable that Chen Qingyuan chose to end his own life.

“…”

"Boom!"

The sky was gloomy, rumbling with thunder and flashing with lightning.

The rain poured down in torrents, lashing violently upon the lake waters.

Eldrin stood by the lakeside isle, gripping his sword, his white robes flowing like snow.

He gazed up at the vast expanse of sky, his eyes reflecting the electric serpents raging between heaven and earth.

He stood silently in the rain, his long hair drifting in the wind and storm, remaining motionless throughout the entire night in utter silence.

Qingyang Sect

“…”

Early the next morning, he returned to the cultivation chamber with an impassive expression and began his secluded training.

He had resolved to cease seeking any possibility of obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) and immediately enter seclusion to attempt a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The Beast Tide was due to arrive in just over 30 years. To protect both himself and his clan, he needed to achieve Foundation Establishment earlier and grow stronger.

This time in seclusion, Eldrin was by no means acting recklessly. After years of tempering by true energy and Primordial Purple Qi, his meridians had achieved a resilience at least twice that of cultivators at his level—comparable to those who broke through using Foundation Establishment Pills.

With his profound foundation of zhenqi, his chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage were at least 50 to 60 percent.

However, even so, compressing true qi into true essence was no easy task.

A profound qualitative transformation lay between the 2 realms. Once the compression succeeded and the physical form was nourished with primordial essence, 1 could complete the leap in life's hierarchy, with lifespan extending beyond 2 100 years.

Drawing on the wisdom of predecessors and his own profound self-awareness, Eldrin meticulously compressed his vital energy day by day. After 1 full month of relentless effort, he finally refined his qi to its absolute peak.

At this stage, it had reached the most critical moment.

If successful, he would be able to compress his vital energy into true essence. But if his meridians couldn't withstand the pressure, the energy compressed to its limit would erupt, instantly riddling his meridians with countless ruptures.

However, Eldrin did not rush to complete this step. He took a deep breath and swallowed the Spirit Gathering Pill.

In an instant, a vast surge of energy flooded into his meridians, the overwhelming pressure compelling his true essence to complete this final step.

"Now!"

Gritting his teeth, he channeled all his spiritual energy, condensing it to complete the final step.

However, without the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) to temper his spiritual energy, it grew far more volatile than ordinary qi, making it exceptionally difficult to subdue.

Fortunately, the meridians tempered by the Primordial Purple Qi possessed extraordinary resilience, withstanding the violent churning of his zhenqi and ultimately enabling him to complete this crucial breakthrough.

When the first wisp of true essence emerged within him, a chain reaction naturally ensued.

Like a giant whale sucking in water, that wisp of true essence absorbed countless streams of qi. After being refined into true essence, Eldrin's meridians became completely empty.

The vast true qi that had filled the meridians was compressed into true essence, leaving behind less than a tenth of its original volume.

"It is done."

Eldrin (Person Name) wore a faint smile as he remained in the cultivation chamber. He produced every last spirit stone he possessed, madly absorbing their spiritual energy to nourish that wisp of nascent true essence.

He then channeled the nascent True Essence to continuously temper his meridians, strengthening them while simultaneously using the True Essence to nourish his physical body. This process persisted for nearly a month before he finally completed the metamorphosis of his life essence.

From this day forth, his life essence had fundamentally transcended its former state. With true essence continuously nourishing his physical form, it was almost certain that he would live to 2 100 years of age, barring any incurable injuries.