Chapter 93 : A Precious Pill's Selfless Gift

Upon returning to Heaven's Ruin Mountain Market, Eldrin Chen sought out Riverius Chen with great excitement and presented him with the Foundation Establishment Pill [a rare and precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm].

As he handed over the jade box, he said excitedly, "Look, Uncle Riverius, see what I have brought for you."

"A Foundation Establishment Pill."

When the Second Elder opened it, a look of astonishment flashed across his face.

A flicker of joy shone in his eyes, but he quickly pushed the Foundation Establishment Pill back, shaking his head firmly.

"I do not know where you obtained this Foundation Establishment Pill, but its value is beyond measure," he said.

"Even if used on me, the chance of success would not exceed half a ten percent. It would be a terrible waste. You should take it back to Verdant Chariot Mountain and give it to Silvan, Caleb, or Silas instead."

"No!" Eldrin Chen shook his head resolutely, his tone brooking no argument. "This Foundation Establishment Pill is my own, not acquired through the clan. I have absolute authority to decide its fate."

"But..."

Riverius Chen pondered for a moment but still refused. "I already have one foot in the grave. Even with this pill, a breakthrough is nearly impossible. Save it for the younger generation, for Caleb and Silas." The complete novel can be found at www . audio-novel.com.

"Uncle Riverius, please take it."

There was a faint note of pleading in Eldrin Chen's tone. "The Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in solidifying one's cultivation foundation] possesses protective effects for your meridians. Even if you fail in your Foundation Establishment [the crucial second major realm of cultivation] attempt using it, it can preserve your life."

"You are far too sentimental. I cannot decide if that is a virtue or a flaw."

In the end, Riverius Chen shook his head helplessly and accepted the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Watching him take the pill, a smile touched Eldrin Chen's lips. He knew well that Riverius Chen's chances of success with the Foundation Establishment Pill were slim—this was not a choice born of cold logic.

But humans are creatures of emotion. All these years, his single-minded pursuit of the Dao [the fundamental path of cultivation and existence] had but one ultimate goal: to follow his true heart and attain a state of carefree transcendence.

If he focused solely on immediate gain, betraying his original intent, what meaning would there be in achieving immortality?

After accepting the Foundation Establishment Pill, Riverius Chen did not leave. Eldrin Chen personally rented a Cultivation Cave [a secluded abode imbued with spiritual energy for meditation and breakthrough] near a Spirit Spring [a spring infused with concentrated spiritual energy] for him at Celestial Ruins Mountain, allowing him to enter seclusion there for his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

By the time all this was arranged, dawn of the next day had broken. Without pausing to rest, he made his way to the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion.

In previous years, the Barter Convention [a gathering where cultivators trade rare materials and treasures] typically saw fewer than twenty participants. However, due to Lyra Jiang's planned assault on the First Wood Earth Vein [a rare spiritual land node rich in Wood and Earth energies], attendance at this year's convention had swelled to nearly fifty cultivators.

After entering the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion, Eldrin Chen cast a glance over the assembled crowd. Among the familiar faces from the past battle at Demon Wolf Mountain, he noticed seven or eight new, unfamiliar ones.

In those years, Lyra Jiang had refined nineteen Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm] in one go. Apart from using them to compensate the families of the six fallen Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] cultivators, the remainder were mostly sold to cultivators from Celestial Ruins Mountain and the Three Counties of Bianzhou.

The cultivation levels of these seven or eight unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivator were not high, most only at the first layer of Foundation Establishment. They were likely newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivators who had broken through thanks to that batch of Foundation Establishment Pill from years past.

"It has been many years. Fellow Daoist Chen, your cultivation progress is truly astonishingly swift."

As soon as Eldrin Chen entered, an old comrade from their past battles fought shoulder-to-shoulder greeted him with a warm smile.

In recent years, he had successively slain several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Lin Clan, earning him a modest reputation for might within Bianzhou. Naturally, the gathered cultivators regarded him with heightened respect, and many turned their attentive gazes upon him.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with the crowd, Eldrin Chen took a seat in a corner, awaiting the commencement of the barter convention.

He waited for merely half a Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours] before the convention finally began. As the host of this gathering, a graceful woman in azure robes, representing Celestial Ruins Mountain, stepped forward.

Eldrin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly in recognition. This person was Su Mingwei, a disciple of Lyra Jiang, with a formidable cultivation at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. She ranked among the top three Foundation Establishment Cultivator within Celestial Ruins Mountain.

"As the initiator of this barter convention, allow me to begin by casting a stone to attract jade [a Chinese idiom meaning to offer a humble remark to elicit more valuable contributions from others]," she announced.

After taking the stage, Su Mingwei spoke. She retrieved a treasure box and opened it, revealing to the crowd that it contained three pills.

"Verdant Origin Pill [a potent elixir that aids in advancing one's cultivation realm]."

Upon seeing those pills, the onlookers' breathing grew slightly ragged.

A single Verdant Origin Pill could increase a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment, 6th Layer [the sixth stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] by thirty percent their chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage [the late phase of the Foundation Establishment realm]. It was potent enough to save a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a practitioner who has established their cultivation foundation] decades of time spent painstakingly tempering their True Essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body].

Due to its remarkable efficacy, the value of this pill was exceedingly high. Often, spending three or four thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] might not guarantee one could purchase it. The fact that Su Mingwei had produced three at once clearly demonstrated the immense wealth and resources of the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion.

Su Mingwei glanced at the assembly, gave a slight, knowing smile, and then spoke. This content originates from audio . novel . com. Please respect copyright.

"The value of this Verdant Origin Pill is, I presume, clear to all. There is little need for me to elaborate. If any of you possess treasures of equivalent worth, you may bring them forth for exchange."

"Naturally, if anyone has pill formulas of the second rank or higher, you may also approach me for priority consideration in a trade."

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered with a hint of understanding. He had long heard that Su Mingwei had inherited the alchemical arts of Lyra Jiang, making her a Second Rank High Grade Alchemist [a master alchemist capable of crafting high-grade second-rank pills]. Seeing her today, that rumor appeared to hold true.

It was a pity that the medicinal efficacy of the Verdant Origin Pill could only be preserved for a little over a decade, and no one within the Chen Clan currently required it. Otherwise, he would likely have sought a way to acquire these pills.

The Verdant Origin Pill [a pill that nourishes the cultivator's foundational vitality] proved far too coveted, and soon multiple bidders stepped forward, swiftly trading away these three precious pills.

Su Mingwei [a cultivator skilled in alchemy] carefully made her selections, choosing one Second Rank High Grade pill formula, one Second Rank High Grade Heaven and Earth Treasures [a rare natural treasure born from the convergence of heaven and earth's spiritual essence], along with several stalks of Second Rank Spirit Medicine [spiritual herbs of the second rank, used in alchemy]. Satisfied, she completed these three transactions.

After Su Mingwei descended from the stage, several Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators [cultivators in the advanced stages of the Foundation Establishment realm] took their turns. Perhaps because a greater number of Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have established their foundational cultivation base] participated in this barter convention, most managed to exchange for treasures that met their desires.

Eldrin Chen was the seventh to ascend the platform. Once there, he produced several Second Rank Low Grade magical tools. These artifacts were mostly spoils seized from the Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Lin Clan, and could be considered quite decent treasures.

After presenting the tools, he stated directly, "I wish to exchange for a Barrier-Breaking Fruit [a spiritual fruit known for its power to help break through cultivation bottlenecks]. If any among you possess one, you may bring it forth to trade for these tools."

Alas, the assembly clearly had no Barrier-Breaking Fruit to offer. Though a few individuals coveted these magical tools, they could only shake their heads in resignation.

Eldrin Chen shook his head in disappointment. In truth, he had anticipated this outcome. The Second Rank Spirit Medicine within the Celestial Ruins Mountain region were virtually monopolized by the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion.

Their Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills] was more advanced. Take Su Mingwei, for instance—her Pill Success Rate [the rate at which an alchemist successfully refines a pill] far surpassed his own. Consequently, people preferred to entrust their Spirit Medicine [spiritual herbs used in cultivation and alchemy] to the Heaven's Ruin Pavilion, finding it more cost-effective whether selling the herbs outright or commissioning the Pavilion to refine them into pills.

Just as Eldrin Chen prepared to step down, disheartened, an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the crowd spoke up.

"I possess a stalk of Spirit-Replenishing Ganoderma [a type of spiritual fungus renowned for restoring depleted spiritual energy and vitality]. Are you interested?"

"Spirit-Replenishing Ganoderma [a rare spiritual fungus prized for its restorative properties]?"

Eldrin Chen's brow twitched slightly. The Spirit-Replenishing Ganoderma was the primary ingredient for the Recovery Pill [a pill that rapidly restores a cultivator's expended spiritual energy]. The Recovery Pill was a Second Rank Middle Grade Pill, capable of restoring half of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a Foundation Establishment cultivator]. Coincidentally, the Chen Clan possessed the pill formula for the Recovery Pill.

With this Spirit-Replenishing Ganoderma, Eldrin Chen could attempt to elevate his Alchemy skill to the Second Rank Middle Grade level, thereby advancing his proficiency in pill refinement.

Once he achieved the second rank in alchemy and had the Recovery Pill at hand, his combat endurance and operational capacity would increase significantly. Contemplating this, he gave a firm nod.

"This herb is indeed useful to me. What do you wish to exchange it for?" This chapter is provided by audio-novel dot com. Support the original.