Chapter 118 : A Failed Breakthrough and a Promise

He looked up and saw a familiar face speaking—it was the clan leader of the Wei Immortal Clan from Boyang County, Varen Wei.

Varen Wei was standing with several other Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, he bid farewell to his companions and stepped forward, clasping his hands in greeting. "Fellow Daoist Eldrin, it has been over ten years since we last parted."

"To think that in just over a decade, you have broken through two successive realms. Such speed in cultivation truly puts this elder brother to shame."

"You flatter me, Elder Brother. My meager cultivation is nothing compared to your profound and unfathomable depth." Eldrin Chen offered a slight smile and a courteous reply. "I have heard that your cultivation is now profoundly deep, merely a single step away from the Violet Sanctum Realm."

"With such attainment, the Violet Sanctum Realm cannot be far off."

Varen Wei shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. "It is a shame to admit. A few years ago, I exhausted the clan's entire reserve of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] to pull some strings and purchase a First Wood Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of primordial wood, used to aid in breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm] from Yan Kingdom. Yet, in the end, my attempt to break through to the Violet Sanctum still failed."

"Do not be disheartened, Fellow Daoist," Eldrin Chen consoled him upon hearing this. "Even with the aid of a First Wood Crystal, the chance of successfully breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm is only about thirty percent."

"Aside from the truly top-tier geniuses, it is exceedingly rare for anyone to succeed on their first attempt."

"You still have a relatively ample lifespan. Once your meridians recover in twenty or thirty years, you will have another opportunity to attempt the breakthrough. It is not impossible that you will succeed in reaching the Violet Sanctum then."

"Let us hope so." This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel-dot-com.

Hearing this consolation, Varen Wei nodded, his heart feeling somewhat eased.

He was only one hundred and sixty years old. Although this breakthrough attempt had failed, he had managed to open up nearly half of his Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path [the primary energy channel associated with the Violet Sanctum realm].

Having opened up nearly half of the Violet Sanctum Meridian of the Path, his True Essence [the refined, potent energy cultivated by advanced practitioners] had increased by thirty percent. With this additional thirty percent of True Essence, his chances of successfully impacting the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm of cultivation] next time would naturally increase by ten to twenty percent.

However, to purchase the First Wood Crystal [a rare crystal brimming with the essence of primordial wood, used to aid breakthroughs], he had paid a steep premium of one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], completely exhausting the wealth the Wei Immortal Clan had accumulated over a century.

Although the Wei Immortal Clan occupied six Second Rank Spiritual Vein [a concentrated vein of earth energy that nourishes cultivation], the clan had to support eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a thousand Vital Essence Refinement [the first major realm of cultivation] disciples. Their annual surplus of Spirit Stone likely wasn't much greater than that of the Chen Clan.

Under such circumstances, if he wished to purchase a treasure like the First Wood Crystal again, he would likely have to gamble everything by borrowing heavily, both internally and externally.

If he succeeded, the clan would naturally ascend to become a Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan, able to claim greater resources and gradually repay its debts.

But if he failed again, the Wei Clan would end up like the Chen Clan ninety years prior, which had exhausted centuries of accumulated wealth to buy the Purple Sun Jade [a precious jade imbued with the essence of the purple sun].

By then, with the Varen Wei, his lifespan nearly spent, passing away, the Wei Clan cultivators would be thrown into panic. Other clans would then transform into tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, ready to pounce.

Even the established Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan would likely take a bite of the flesh. When that time came, the Wei Clan might not be able to retain even half of their current six Spiritual Vein.

This matter weighed heavily upon them, and not wishing to dwell on such somber topics, Varen Wei steered the conversation elsewhere, asking,

"By the way, what do you intend to purchase by attending this Solar Province Barter Convention?"

Eldrin Chen pondered for a moment before replying frankly, "I have come hoping to acquire a Verdant Origin Mushroom [a rare spiritual fungus that aids in cultivation breakthroughs] or a Verdant Origin Pill [an elixir that enhances the chances of advancing one's cultivation realm]."

"I suspected as much," Varen Wei said, shaking his head. He offered a word of caution, "With the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] less than a decade away, many seek the Verdant Origin Pill. I fear you may not succeed in obtaining either the pill or the mushroom."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen felt a measure of confidence. He had brought over ten thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] with him. While the Verdant Origin Pill was costly, its usual price hovered around three thousand Spirit Stones, and the Verdant Origin Mushroom was typically priced at about five thousand.

The Verdant Origin Pill only increased one's chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage by thirty percent. Some with poor fortune might consume three or four such pills and still fail to advance. Therefore, it was unlikely to command an exorbitantly inflated price.

Even with the impending Beast Tide driving up demand, he refused to believe that with ten thousand Spirit Stones, he would fail to secure one.

As they conversed, the Barter Convention [a grand gathering for cultivators to trade resources] finally commenced.

Overseeing the event was a female cultivator from the Verdant Sun Sect [a prominent cultivation sect].

The woman was tall and slender, appearing to be in her late twenties, yet her cultivation had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation, where one forms a solid spiritual foundation], a level not inferior to Tea Rose Su, the disciple of Exquisite Jiang. Clearly, she was skilled in the arts of preserving youthful appearance.

"Esteemed fellow cultivators, this humble one, Su Ling, offers her greetings."

After stepping onto the stage, she gave a slight bow to the assembly, then produced three treasures.

The moment Eldrin Chen's gaze fell upon those three treasures, his pupils contracted slightly, a flicker of intense desire flashing within his heart.

Among the three treasures, the first was a Solar Fire Crystal. Since Eldrin Chen's Lifebound Immortal Sword was forged from this very material, he understood its profound rarity all too well.

The second treasure was a Third-Rank Heaven and Earth Treasure known as 'Earthfire Mysterious Gold'. This Earthfire Mysterious Gold was a third-rank fire-attributed material for artifact forging [a high-grade ore imbued with the essence of earth and fire, used to craft powerful enchanted items].

It could be used to craft Violet Sanctum Grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts of immense power], and could only be nurtured within a Fourth-Rank Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean spiritual energy vein of exceptional quality, rich in fiery essence]. Join our community of readers at audio - novel . com.

Even within the Verdant Sun Sect's Fourth Rank Low-Grade Underground Fire Vein, only one or two pieces would be born every ten years. Its price was thus astronomical, a treasure more often sought than found.

The third treasure was a Precious Pill [an exceptionally rare and potent alchemical elixir] marked with cloud-like patterns. It emitted a hazy spiritual light and, astonishingly, contained a wisp of Creation power [the primordial force of genesis and life], making it appear utterly priceless.

"A Creation Cloud Vein Pill."

Eldrin Chen's alchemical expertise had grown increasingly profound, and he recognized the pill's origin at a single glance.

The Creation Cloud Vein Pill [a pill that aids in the breakthrough of cultivation bottlenecks] is a Precious Pill [a rare and valuable type of cultivation pill] of the Third Rank Lower Grade [a classification for high-grade cultivation resources]. Legend holds that to refine this pill, one must combine the Third-Rank Spirit Herbs [a high-grade spiritual plant] known as the 'Cloud Vein Fruit' [a fruit that channels cloud-like spiritual energy] with the 'Solar Fire Crystal' [a crystal imbued with solar flame essence]. Once successfully concocted, the pill contains an exceedingly precious Creation [the primordial, life-giving force of the universe] spiritual nature.

It is said that after consuming this pill, there is a thirty percent chance it can assist a Violet Sanctum 3rd Tier [a cultivator at the third level of the Violet Sanctum realm] in breaking through the bottleneck to the Violet Sanctum Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Violet Sanctum realm], saving them sixty years of arduous effort in tempering their spiritual power.

The Third-Rank Spirit Herbs 'Cloud Vein Fruit' typically starts at a value of fifty thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], while the Solar Fire Crystal ranges between fifty thousand and eighty thousand Spirit Stones. Without the right connections, one can be exploited, forced to pay a significant premium to acquire them.

Even with his Third-Rank Middle Grade [mid-level proficiency in third-rank pill refinement] alchemy skill, the Violet Sanctum Patriarch Liu of Verdant Sun Sect can only produce three pills per batch of this elixir, a testament to its immense rarity and value.

"What identity does this Su Ling truly possess, to be able to produce three such priceless treasures?"

Eldrin Chen pondered this, unable to resist sending a sound transmission to Varen Wei to inquire.

Varen Wei, sensing his confusion, transmitted back quietly, "This Su Ling is said to be a disciple of the Verdant Sun Sect's Patriarch Xu."

"But every cultivator in the Green Sun Two Provinces knows the truth—she is actually Patriarch Xu's concubine."

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly, and he chose not to pursue that line of conversation further.

At that moment, having finished introducing the three treasures, Su Ling smiled and spoke.

"The value of these three treasures is clear to all, so I shall not belabor the point."

"I wish to exchange them for Supple Wood Crystal [a crystalized essence of pure, supple wood energy, highly prized by wood-attribute cultivators] and a Third Rank Wood Attribute Magical Artifact. If you possess sufficient Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], a transaction is not impossible, provided the price is right."

As soon as her words fell, murmurs and discussions rippled through the assembled crowd.

After a moment of heavy silence, a voice suddenly rang out: "I offer one Supple Wood Crystal in exchange for one of your Cloud Vein Creation Pill." Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel.com.