Chapter 73 Nirvana Immortal Apricot Tree

Upon returning to Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location), he discovered that the Old Patriarch had also made a rare return to Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location).

The moment he saw him, the old clan leader asked with delight, "When did you break through to the second level of Foundation Establishment?"

"Just half a year ago, I had my breakthrough."

Eldrin replied, "With the aid of the Second-Order Spirit Peach, my true essence had accumulated sufficiently as early as half a year ago. This breakthrough was simply the natural culmination of that process."

Lior also felt a hint of envy, sighing as he remarked, "In just 6 years since breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, you've already reached the second layer. At this pace, I'm afraid you could rival even those prodigies with a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

"The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) is truly extraordinary. Even at merely the second tier, it enables 1's cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds."

"If this object were to 1 day reach its full potential, I fear even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would covet it."

The Old Clan Leader smiled faintly and said, "Every Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) is a miraculous creation of nature, its effects are naturally extraordinary."

Legend has it that the Ji Clan, overlords of the 6 Kingdoms, possessed a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root known as the 5 Elements Spirit Tree. This divine tree had reached the fifth-tier Nascent Soul realm, bearing a batch of 5 Elements Spirit Fruit every 100 years. These sacred fruits could even aid cultivators with 5 Elements Spiritual Roots in breaking through to the Golden Core realm.

Legends also speak of a sixth-rank, superior-grade Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root known as the 'Nirvana Immortal Apricot Tree' deep within the Eastern Wastelands, in the sacred land of the Dao Monarchs.

It is said that the Nirvana Immortal Apricot Tree blooms once every 1 1000 years, bears fruit over the next 1 1000 years, and ripens after yet another 1 1000 years, ultimately yielding 3 immortal apricots.

"When the 'Immortal Apricot' ripens, it possesses a unique divine nature. A mere whiff can restore youth to mortals, allowing them to live past their 2 hundredth year. If a cultivator consumes it, they may undergo nirvana-like rebirth and gain a second lifetime—a treasure even Primordial Spirit Dao Lords covet beyond measure."

The Old Patriarch had been at the Foundation Establishment stage for many years, and compared to the 2 of them, he was far more worldly and knowledgeable. When he recounted these rumors, he spoke with such authority and vivid detail.

Hearing these rumors of unknown veracity, the 2 of them couldn't help but be utterly captivated.

Third Elder swallowed hard, his voice tinged with astonishment as he spoke, "I had only heard legends of the divine fruit from the mythical Immortal Tree of Violet Heaven, said to grant ascension to immortality. Never did I imagine the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) could possess such profound and miraculous power."

"You're showing your lack of experience." The old clan leader chuckled, then continued with growing excitement, "Although Eldrin's spirit peach tree is still low in grade, its origin traces back to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root. This might very well become Eldrin's chance to attain the Dao."

He then added, "Of course, the vast majority of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots (Spiritual Root) reach their limit after growing to the fourth rank. Whether they can advance further depends entirely on fate and opportunity."

"It stands to reason that Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots like the Nirvana Apricot of Immortality—verging on immortal-grade flora—are scarcely more than a handful within the boundless expanse of the Ziyin Realm."

"The matter of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root) is of utmost importance." After a moment's contemplation, the Third Elder continued, "From now on, aside from those who are absolutely trustworthy, the fewer people visiting Spirit Isle Lake (Location), the better."

Eldrin listened quietly, a sudden impulse to once again use the Violet Qi to enhance the foundation of his spirit tree surging within him. Yet the moment this thought flickered, he suppressed it.

He found it arduous to refine the Primordial Purple Qi, managing to accumulate only 1 breath of it every 10 years. Currently, his fourth breath of purple qi had just surpassed the halfway point of accumulation.

The efficacy of the Primordial Purple Qi was extraordinary—it could not only temper meridians but also refine the physical body. This was crucial to his chances of breaking through to the Violet Mansion realm in the future. If he wished to ascend to the Violet Mansion realm, he would need to preserve the Primordial Purple Qi to continually polish his foundation.

Not only that, but he could vaguely sense that once the spirit peach tree reached the fourth rank, its latent potential would likely be exhausted. At that point, further advancement would probably require more than just a single wisp of Primordial Purple Qi.

Moreover, he understood all too well the principle that "a man's wealth is his own ruin." Without sufficient strength, recklessly enhancing more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots (Spiritual Root) would likely only pave the way for others' gain.

"Enough of this."

The old patriarch concluded the topic, then turned his gaze to Eldrin and said, "We specifically summoned you back this time because there is a matter we wish for you to handle."

Eldrin’s brow twitched slightly. Without uttering a word, he waited quietly for what would follow.

"This is the situation. The Decennial Exchange Fair of Bian Province will commence in a few days."

"I cannot leave Pingyang City for long. Lior's cultivation level is insufficient, and I don't feel at ease letting him go there alone."

"So I want you to make a trip to Feng County, to see if we can acquire some Essence of Misty Water, and while you're at it, purchase some Golden Thread Silkworm Silk as well."

After Chen Changxuan finished speaking, Eldrin roughly understood the purpose of this journey.

Under the banner of the Qingyang Sect, they controlled 3 provinces within the Chu Kingdom: Qing Province, Yang Province, and the Border Province.

Bianzhou was further divided into 3 prefectures: Yu, Feng, and Ling. These prefectures were geographically adjacent to 1 another, resulting in frequent trade exchanges in daily life.

Situated at the crossroads of 3 prefectures and guarded by the Violet Mansion Immortal Clan of the Xu Family, Feng Prefecture hosted a Grand Bartering Assembly once every 10 years.

The purpose of the Exchange Convention was to enable Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Borderlands to trade their unused precious resources amongst themselves, exchanging them for treasures they truly needed.

Among the 3 prefectures of Bianzhou, each was home to roughly 20 to 30 Foundation Establishment clans. Even when including the rogue cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment, the region only had a little over a 100 such practitioners in total.

Such a small number of Foundation Establishment cultivators usually struggled to find avenues for exchanging rare resources like heavenly treasures, so none would typically miss the Bianzhou Exchange Convention.

Not only that, but at the trade fair held every decade, even Foundation Establishment cultivators from Qingzhou, Yangzhou, and even Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) would send representatives. They came solely to exchange for the cultivation resources they desired.

This time, the old clan head wanted Eldrin to go for 2 reasons: first, to help Lior purchase the Essence of Sunless Waters needed for forging the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, and second, to acquire some Goldthread Silkworm fibers.

The Golden Whisker Silkworm is a second-order spirit insect, and the golden silk it spins is a precious second-order spiritual material. Not only can it be used to craft second-order magical robes and treasure banners, but it is also an essential component for forging formation flags.

A few years ago, they had suffered a major loss at the hands of Zuo Yunián (Person Name), with an entire town of mortals from their clan slaughtered. The old clan leader felt that the defensive formations of several towns were still not strong enough.

Now that the family's annual surplus exceeded 1,200 spirit stones, leaving them with some disposable income, Chen Changxuan planned to purchase some Golden Thread Silkworm fibers and refine several sets of formation banners to further strengthen the defenses of Pingyang City and the surrounding border towns.

The defensive formations around the several towns bordering Pingyang City must withstand Foundation Establishment cultivators' assaults for a considerable duration, holding firm until his reinforcements arrive. Only then could the Chen Family's subsequent population expansion plan proceed without a shadow of concern.

"During this period, I have arranged for Lior to hold the fort at Spirit Isle Lake on your behalf."

"This is 8,000 spirit stones." Chen Changxuan handed over a storage pouch before continuing, "While traveling to Feng County, you should also seize the opportunity to purchase some magical instruments for Lior (Person Name) Qingwan."

"When encountering rare treasures that could benefit the clan or either of us, do not hesitate to spend spirit stones."

Eldrin accepted the spirit stones, fully aware that these 8,000 spirit stones likely represented the entirety of the group's liquid assets.