Chapter 92 : The Pill of Twilight Years

Putting away the Invitation Letter, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze to Chen Riverius and noticed he seemed to have something on his mind, hesitating to speak.

His brow furrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "Does the Clan Uncle have something he wishes to say?"

Riverius Chen hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "I heard that you still had one more Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that aids in gathering spiritual essence for cultivation breakthroughs] back then?"

"Indeed, there is still one left."

Eldrin Chen nodded. In those years, he had successfully refined three Essence Gathering Pill. Lior Chen and Chen Elara had each used one, leaving one indeed still in his possession.

"This item can assist a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm [the foundational stage of cultivation where one solidifies their spiritual base]. But if Uncle Riverius seeks this item, could it be that..."

Eldrin Chen's words trailed off, a sudden weight settling in his heart.

Only now did he truly notice it—Riverius Chen's temples were already streaked with gray, and an aura of weary twilight hung heavily about his brow and eyes.

Now, even the Third Elder and Chen Elara were approaching seventy years of age. This Second Elder of the clan was already well past eighty. He had grown old.

Years ago, in order to help Chen Corin obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill used to attempt a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm], Riverius Chen had repeatedly activated the Bell of Nine Echoes [a magical bell whose tolls resonate with devastating force] to clash head-on with a Foundation Establishment Demonic Ape, sustaining near-fatal injuries. Continue your cultivation journey at (audio-novel.com).

Although he later consumed a Stasis-Dispersing Pill [a pill that disperses blood stasis and heals internal injuries] to recover from his wounds, it came at the cost of severely damaging his lifespan. While an ordinary person at the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer [the ninth and final stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] could typically live to one hundred and twenty years of age, he might not even reach a century.

"The greatest regret of my life," he began, his voice thick with emotion, "is that before I reached sixty years of age, I lacked the courage to attempt the breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their foundation for the path ahead]."

Riverius Chen suddenly spoke, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, a profound remorse etched upon his face. "Now, with my lifespan nearing its end, I finally understand. Failing to break through to Foundation Establishment and merely clinging to life within the Qi Refinement Stage [the first realm of cultivation where one refines their vital energy]—what difference do a few extra years truly make?"

"Therefore, I wish to seize this chance, while my True Qi [the refined, potent energy cultivated by a practitioner] has not yet withered completely, to make one attempt to charge into the Foundation Establishment realm."

"Even if it leads to my death, I shall have no regrets!"

Eldrin Chen felt as if a colossal bell had been struck against his very soul. A heavy, suffocating weight settled upon his heart, oppressive as a mountain.

If attempting a self-guided Foundation Establishment breakthrough before the age of sixty offered a sliver of hope—a one-in-ten chance of survival—then attempting it after sixty reduced that hope to virtually nothing.

For once one's vital blood and Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things] decline, a cultivator's physical body and meridian channels weaken and deteriorate, their resilience plummeting.

Riverius Chen's lifespan was severely damaged; the state of his physical body now was scarcely different from that of a cultivator a full century old. In such a condition, even with the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that significantly increases the chance of a successful Foundation Establishment breakthrough], his odds of achieving Foundation Establishment would not exceed half a tenth. And yet, he spoke of attempting it with nothing but a single Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that gathers and concentrates spiritual essence, offering a minor boost for breakthroughs].

Eldrin Chen understood with painful clarity. Riverius Chen was marching toward his end. He would rather die in the throes of a breakthrough, chasing that one-in-a-hundred-million possibility, than lie upon a sickbed a dozen years hence, passively awaiting death's arrival.

"Uncle Riverius…"

Eldrin Chen did not know how to persuade him, nor what to say.

He knew full well that Riverius Chen's actions were a march toward death, a waste of the precious Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that concentrates spiritual essence to aid cultivation], yet his hand trembled as he took out the Essence Gathering Pill and thrust it into Riverius Chen's grasp.

After a moment's hesitation, Eldrin Chen still spoke: "Uncle Riverius, perhaps you should wait a little longer."

"I will go plead with Jiang the Ancient Ancestor to see if we can purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill [a rare and potent pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] for you."

"Silly child."

Riverius Chen patted Eldrin Chen's head, a gratified smile gracing his lips. "A Foundation Establishment Pill is worth a fortune. Even if we could buy one, it should go to someone with a greater hope of achieving a breakthrough."

"An old man like me, with his life force withered and spent, doesn't even believe he can break through to Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation]. I merely wish to glimpse the scenery of that realm before I die."

"Even if… it is only for an instant."

The night was profound, a bright moon suspended high in the vault of the nine heavens.

Eldrin Chen's heart was heavy with a profound melancholy, as if a thousand words clamored within him, yet there was no one to whom he could speak them.

He soared out of Heaven's Ruin Market on his flying sword, alighting upon a towering peak that pierced the clouds. Gazing down upon the boundless sea of mist and the Great Wilderness, he retrieved an ancient zither.

Seated upon the mountain's zenith, his robes white as snow, he placed the zither upon his knees. His fingers lightly plucked the strings, and an ethereal, lingering melody began to resonate across the heavens. It was like a cry echoing through the long Ronan of time, striking directly at the soul.

Time seemed to lose its meaning. Eventually, the last note faded, and the song came to an end.

Eldrin Chen opened his eyes. To his surprise, a hazy, indistinct figure stood not far away, watching him in silence.

Her bright eyes shifted slightly as she asked calmly, "What is the name of that song?" Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel.com (official site).

"Great Fish,"

Eldrin Chen blurted out the answer before he could stop himself. Realizing his informality, he quickly rose and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Jiang the Ancient Ancestor."

Lyra Jiang shook her head slightly. Standing at the cliff's edge, she looked out over the vast land below, a faint, almost imperceptible curve touching the corner of her lips.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"I would not dare." Eldrin Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly replied.

She offered an enigmatic smile and asked again, "Do you think I am old?"

Eldrin Chen's heart sank, and he quickly answered, "Senior, you are in the prime of your life, how could you be old?"

"Then why do you call me Jiang the Ancient Ancestor?"

Lyra Jiang glanced at him with a knowing, half-smile.

Without waiting for his answer, she turned her gaze back to the distant land, her expression serene as she spoke.

"The mayfly is born at dawn and dies by dusk, its entire life ignorant of the distinction between day and night!"

"For it, the sun's rise and fall constitutes a lifetime."

"You have lived for over thirty years. To it, that is like three thousand turbulent mortal lifetimes. So, are *you* old?"

Eldrin Chen was left speechless. Many believed that high-level cultivators, having lived for centuries, were ancient, undying monsters.

Little do they know that in the eyes of a supreme cultivator, those people are no different from ephemeral mayflies. The entire lifetime of a mortal is but the duration of a brief nap for a great Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a supreme cultivator who has attained the Nascent Soul realm].

I watch you be born, I watch you grow, I watch you in the prime of your youth, I watch you gradually age, I watch you turn to withered bones in a grave mound. Yet I remain youthful, immortal amidst the mortal dust.

When you laugh at me for having lived for thousands of years, calling me an old monster, what difference is there between you and the mayflies in the water gazing up at me?

"You are different from others."

Lyra Jiang's eyes reflected the boundless earth, as if seeing through the ceaselessly shifting tapestry of mortal affairs within this vast Great Wilderness.

"Ten thousand years from now, perhaps you will understand that I am only a little older than you."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen replied with some trepidation, "Legend says only a Nascent Soul Dao Lord can live for ten thousand years. How could this junior, lacking in virtue and ability, merit such praise?"

"You..." Lyra Jiang couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at his flustered demeanor. "So young, yet you act like an old man, lacking the sharp edge of youth."

Eldrin Chen found her smile utterly captivating. Her bright eyes sparkled like stars in the heavens, and for a moment, he was utterly entranced.

Seeming to notice his expression, Lyra Jiang reined in her smile. With a turn and a sweep of her long skirt, she transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished into the sky.

Watching that sword radiance vanish into the celestial horizon, Eldrin Chen finally regained his composure.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, he turned to pack away the ancient zither. His eyes suddenly paused, noticing a jade box that had appeared beside the instrument at some unknown moment.

"What is this?"

He opened the jade box. Inside, resting prominently, was a single Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids a cultivator in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm].

In silence, Eldrin Chen stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the direction she had departed. He remained that way for a long, long time.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and drew a deep, measured breath. A trace of her subtle fragrance seemed to linger in his heart, a scent imbued with a profound tranquility that seeped into his very soul, refusing to fade for what felt like an eternity.

Original English translation available at audio novel.com.