Chapter 81 : The Foundation Establishment Struggle

It turns out that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage without using a Foundation Establishment Pill is actually the norm; the vast majority of rogue cultivators and minor clan cultivators do it this way. It's just that nine out of ten of these people fall at the barrier of Foundation Establishment.

Furthermore, achieving Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment does not guarantee one can progress further. Even if rogue cultivators and minor clan cultivators break through to Foundation Establishment, it is difficult for them to secure a stable footing.

To be recognized by the Six Great Clans of Yu County and be permitted a share of the county's interests, a clan must possess at least two Second Rank Spiritual Veins [subterranean channels that concentrate and radiate spiritual energy]. One vein is for nurturing the mortal population, providing a continuous stream of potential cultivators, and the other is for supplying the clan's cultivators with the spiritual energy they need for their practice.

Even if cultivators from these minor Immortal Clans manage to break through to Foundation Establishment, without the stipends and benefits of a true Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, and without Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation arts to increase their rate of spiritual energy absorption, their cultivation becomes arduous. They would waste most of their lives scrambling for cultivation resources.

Most of these individuals end their days trapped in the early or middle stages of Foundation Establishment. Occasionally, one or two with better fortune might painstakingly cultivate their way to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

But when facing the barrier to breakthrough into the Violet Sanctum realm, without treasures like Purple Sun Jade or Solar Fire Crystal to assist the breakthrough, their chances of success are merely one or two in ten.

Even the rogue cultivators of Heavenly Ruins Mountain, such as the Violet Sanctum Cultivator Elara Lin who possesses an Ice Spiritual Root [a rare innate affinity for ice-attribute spiritual energy], only managed to break through to the Violet Sanctum Realm with the support of Patriarch Jiang.

In comparison, immortal clans like the Chen Clan that have been passed down for centuries, possessing several Second Rank Spiritual Veins and stable sources of income, are not plagued by feast-or-famine cycles. Their hopes of breaking through to Violet Sanctum are significantly greater.

"The path of cultivation is not easy,"

"And are we, the six great Immortal Clans of Yu County, not in a similar position when viewed by those true Violet Sanctum Immortal Clans?" Dive deeper into the Dao at audio-novel[dot]com.

"Without a Third-Rank Earth Vein, without a Third-order Spiritual Vein, and without a third-rank cultivation art, what does it matter if a Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened their Violet Palace, the third major realm] occasionally emerges? Even basic cultivation becomes a struggle, and advancing further is an arduous path indeed."

"After a few centuries, that Violet Sanctum [the Violet Palace realm] cultivator will pass away, a mere flash in the pan, unable to sustain the legacy of a true Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [an immortal clan with a Violet Sanctum cultivator as its pillar]."

As he spoke, the Old Patriarch let out a sigh, his expression tinged with regret.

Eldrin Chen listened quietly, a slight frown creasing his brow. "With the Worldly Spiritual Root [a legendary spiritual root of immense potential] present, our Chen Clan will undoubtedly possess a Third-order Spiritual Vein in the future. The real issue is obtaining a Violet Sanctum cultivation art."

"At this Barter Convention, the Yang Clan of Ling County did offer a Violet Sanctum Realm cultivation art. Unfortunately, the terms of exchange were far too steep."

"These established Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan are almost certain to prevent a third-rank art from falling into our hands." The Old Patriarch shook his head, then offered a wry smile.

"Who can predict what the future holds? If we manage to break through to the Violet Sanctum ourselves in the future and possess a third-rank treasure of sufficient value, an exchange might not be entirely impossible."

"After all, even among Violet Sanctum Cultivator, there is a need to trade resources and knowledge."

Eldrin Chen's eyes gleamed with a thoughtful light. "Our Chen Clan's Blazing Sun Dominating Void Art and Solar Fire Soul-Burning Art are both exceptionally profound. As I cultivate them, I sense they share commonalities and complement each other."

"If we could, in time, refine them, extracting their essence and discarding the dross, we might deduce a path to a higher realm. At the very least, we could surpass their current limitations."

Old Patriarch's pupils contracted, then he laughed heartily. "If you could truly achieve that, your talent would likely rival even that of Patriarch Jiang."

"Patriarch Jiang possessed a heaven-defying genius, mastering Alchemy, Formations, Artifacts, Talismans to perfection, each reaching the realm of Creation. I am far from his equal."

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly, continuing to inspect the contents of White Hope Lin's Storage Bag.

As the second most important figure of the Lin Clan, White Hope Lin possessed considerable wealth. His Storage Bag contained over two thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Furthermore, two of the Lin Clan's foundational treasures, the Purple Sun Furnace and the Thousand-Star Needles of the Azure Abyss—both Second Rank High-Grade Magical Treasure—had fallen into Eldrin Chen's hands.

Additionally, the Barrier-Breaking Heart-Lock Spike and the cyan flying sword were both Second Rank Mid-Grade magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. The value of these few magical treasure alone was enough to make many Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators drool with envy.

"The Lin Clan truly lives up to its reputation as the foremost family in Yu County," said the Old Patriarch, his aged face beaming with a pleased smile. "Backed by Mordecai Lin, a Violet Sanctum Cultivator, it seems they managed to amass quite a fortune."

They quickly divided the spoils. Eldrin Chen now possessed more magical treasure than he could effectively wield; adding more would strain his spiritual sense and True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body].

Thus, he simply replaced the Green Ape Pearl with the Purple Sun Furnace, placing the magical treasure that had accompanied him for years into the Clan Treasury.

Furthermore, he deposited the cyan flying sword, the Barrier-Breaking Heart-Lock Spike, and other such magical treasure into the Clan Treasury, intending to allocate them to Verdant Grace Chen and the Third Elder.

In truth, the True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] of both individuals was somewhat insufficient; they could wield at most three Second Rank Magical Artifact [enchanted artifacts of the second rank, possessing significant power].

Therefore, the surplus Eldrin Chen intended to leave in the Clan Treasury [the secure vault where a clan stores its wealth and resources] would be used later for trading treasures with others or reserved for future newly-advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivators [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual foundation, a major milestone].

After dealing with White Hope Lin's Storage Bag [a spatial artifact capable of holding many items], the Third Elder, having received the message, hurried over.

No sooner had he arrived at Pingyang City than he couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"

Eldrin Chen recounted the whole story from beginning to end. Upon hearing it, the Third Elder's expression turned grave as he said,

"With White Hope Lin slain, the Lin Clan is unlikely to let this matter rest." For more chapters, visit audio—novel.com for the complete novel.

"If they won't let it rest, this old man certainly won't either," declared the Old Patriarch, his aura radiating killing intent. "That White Hope Lin and Ink Respect Lin laid tracking magical treasures [enchanted artifacts] to hunt you down. If not for Eldrin's formidable strength, even an ordinary cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage [the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm] might not have escaped with their life."

"This Karma [the cosmic principle of cause and effect, where actions have inevitable consequences] must naturally be repaid." Lior Chen furrowed his brow, unable to hold back from saying, "But the Lin Clan is backed by the Second Rank [a classification for spiritual veins and sites of corresponding power] Spiritual Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy within the earth] at Ink Green Mountain. There's little we can truly do to them."

"No matter. While we may not be able to storm Ink Green Mountain, we can certainly take Spirit Apricot Mountain [a mountain known for its spiritually infused apricot trees]."

Spirit Apricot Mountain was one of the three Second Rank Spiritual Vein [a subterranean channel that concentrates and emits spiritual energy] occupied by the Lin Clan. More than seventy years ago, this very Spirit Apricot Mountain still belonged to the Mo Clan, a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Foundation Establishment realm] from Yu County.

However, over seventy years ago, a Beast Tide [a massive, destructive surge of demonic beasts] descended. Both of the Mo Clan's Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have solidified their cultivation foundation] perished in the ensuing battle, and from that moment, the clan's decline was sealed.

At that time, the Mo Clan's two Second Rank Spiritual Vein were seized. One was taken by the newly ascended Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, the Sun Clan, to serve as their new clan seat. The other fell into the hands of the Lin Clan.

The one the Lin Clan claimed was the Spirit Apricot Mountain. This mountain's spiritual vein was only of Second Rank Low-Grade quality and yielded no special resources, yet it was home to a single Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree.

That Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree had grown for centuries, reaching the First Rank High-Grade. Each year, it bore over a dozen Spirit Apricot.

While these Spirit Apricot held no power to directly enhance cultivation, they possessed the rare ability to extend a cultivator's lifespan. It was said consuming one Spirit Apricot could add one Zai-time [an era, conventionally one thousand years] to one's life. The sole limitation was that a cultivator could only benefit from three such fruits in their lifetime.

Though the lifespan extension was modest, as a treasure capable of defying mortality's grasp, each Spirit Apricot was valued at fifty Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

For years, the Lin Clan had relied on this Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree, reaping an additional seven to eight hundred Spirit Stone in annual income—a bounty that had long stirred the envy of the other great families within Yu County.

Eternal Profound Chen said with a cold laugh, "Inform the Six Great Clans of the situation. Eldrin and I will take advantage of their distraction and strike first at the Spirit Apricot Mountain." Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel .c om.