Chapter 105 : The Path of Secluded Cultivation

After handling the mundane affairs concerning the descendants of Chen Silvan, Eldrin Chen bid farewell to the Old Patriarch and rode his sword back to Spirit Isle Lake.

Now that a grand formation had been established around Dark Iron Mountain, it was unlikely that the major Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans of Yu County would dare to seize it. With the Feng Clan of Boyang County [a neighboring county] not making a move, his presence there was naturally unnecessary.

With Lior Chen stationed there, the safety of the Mysterious Iron Mountain Dao Field was assured. Moreover, in comparison, the importance of Spirit Lake Isle far outweighed that of Dark Iron Mountain.

Upon returning to Spirit Lake Isle, Eldrin Chen resumed his usual life of secluded cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another three years passed.

On this day, as Eldrin Chen was immersed in his quiet cultivation, the siblings Silas Chen and Caleb Chen arrived by boat from beyond Spirit Isle Lake.

Eldrin Chen looked at them and asked, "You have returned. How was your journey of tempering?"

In recent years, the cultivation of Caleb Chen and Silas Chen had reached a bottleneck. They needed a prolonged period of honing their True Essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] to achieve a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm. Thus, growing restless from stillness, they had ventured to Celestial Ruins Mountain for experience.

"This time at Celestial Ruins Mountain, we slew many demonic beasts..."

Silas Chen recounted the events of their journey to Eldrin Chen with a smile. After finishing his excited tale, he seemed to remember something and added,

"Uncle Eldrin, on my way here, I stopped by Verdant Chariot Mountain. The Grand Elder asked me to inform you that Aunt Seraphina is preparing for her Foundation Establishment breakthrough." For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel-dot-com.

As she spoke, she handed over another Storage Bag. "He also asked me to give this to you."

Eldrin Chen opened it and found that within the Storage Bag were precisely the few missing Spirit Medicine [rare plants imbued with spiritual energy] required for the Spirit-Concentrating Pill and the Essence Burst Pill.

"Very well, I understand the matter. You may both withdraw. I must refine a few batches of pills."

After dismissing the two, he returned to the Alchemy Chamber and began his work. The first batch he refined was the Essence Gathering Pill.

Over the years, Eldrin Chen's Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills] had advanced by leaps and bounds, and his cultivation had grown considerably. Refining the Essence Gathering Pill once more was now a task he could accomplish with ease.

Using his True Flame [a cultivator's purified inner flame] to temper the ingredients, it took merely the time for one day to complete a batch of Essence Gathering Pill, yielding a full six pills.

After successfully refining the Essence Gathering Pill, Eldrin Chen took out the Fire Spirit Herb. This herb served as the primary ingredient for the Essence Burst Pill and was considered a truly precious material.

The Essence Burst Pill could temporarily increase a Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage cultivator's True Essence [refined spiritual energy] by half, elevating it to a level comparable to the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage. It was a treasured pill used by cultivators as a life-or-death trump card.

This pill, however, carried a flaw. After consuming it once, the user's meridians would be damaged for a full ten years, requiring careful nurturing throughout that decade to restore them to peak condition.

If one were to recklessly engage in combat within those ten years, their meridians would rupture, inflicting wounds that were nearly impossible to heal.

"This Essence Burst Pill [a potent pill that temporarily surges one's cultivation power at the risk of damaging the meridians] would be most suitable for my use."

Eldrin Chen gazed at the Fire Spirit Herb [a spiritual herb imbued with fire-attribute energy, often used in alchemy], a thought flashing through his mind. Having achieved Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] through his own efforts, his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] was exceptionally sharp and potent. Its effect on tempering his meridians was thirty percent stronger than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Coupled with the fact that his meridians had been tempered by Primordial Essence [the pure, foundational spiritual energy of heaven and earth] for thirty years, the combined effect meant the resilience of his meridians far surpassed that of cultivators at his same level.

For an ordinary person, consuming this Essence Burst Pill would inevitably damage their meridians, leaving them exceptionally fragile. However, if he were to take it, the damage would likely be minor at most. He would probably need only one or two months of recuperation to recover fully, and it shouldn't hinder his ability to fight.

Thinking of the powerful new trump card he would gain once the Essence Burst Pill was successfully refined, Eldrin Chen couldn't help but allow a faint smile to touch his lips.

He suppressed his wandering thoughts and began placing the Fire Spirit Herb into the furnace to refine the Essence Burst Pill. With his current level of Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual herbs and materials into pills], he was already capable of crafting this pill, though his Pill Success Rate [the likelihood of successfully producing a usable pill from a given set of ingredients] for this attempt wouldn't be high.

After three days of meticulous work, Eldrin Chen successfully refined two Essence Burst Pill. This Pill Success Rate was considered average among Second Rank Middle Grade Alchemist [an alchemist skilled in crafting mid-grade pills of the second rank].

Fortunately, the experience gained from refining the Essence Burst Pill had slightly elevated his Alchemy. Consequently, when he later refined the Spirit-Concentrating Pill [a pill that aids in focusing the spirit and enhancing meditation], he managed to advance a step further, producing three pills.

"Three pills... actually three," he murmured.

Looking at the Spirit-Concentrating Pill before him, Eldrin Chen smiled with satisfaction. Producing three pills in a single batch indicated he now had a tangible chance to advance and attempt the breakthrough to become a Second Rank High Grade Alchemist [an alchemist capable of crafting high-grade pills of the second rank].

The Spirit-Concentrating Pill [a rare elixir that enhances a cultivator's spiritual sense] can only be consumed once in a cultivator's lifetime. After taking it, it can increase a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's spiritual sense by thirty percent, making it an exceptionally precious spiritual pill.

It must be understood that the role of spiritual sense is of paramount importance. Upon reaching the Purple Mansion [a major cultivation stage where one's spiritual core is established], a cultivator's ability to refine and convert their mana also requires sufficient spiritual sense. Furthermore, a cultivator with powerful spiritual sense gains an increased likelihood of successfully breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

"I shall consume one first,"

Eldrin Chen retrieved one Spirit-Concentrating Pill and swallowed it in a single gulp.

Instantly, the spiritual pill transformed into an intangible force that surged through his meridians and into his sea of consciousness, continuously nourishing and refining his spiritual sense, making it more potent and concentrated.

By the time he had fully refined and absorbed the Spirit-Concentrating Pill, his spiritual sense had increased by a full thirty percent and then some. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel*com.

"This power..."

Eldrin Chen extended his senses, discovering that everything within one thousand two hundred Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] was revealed to him with perfect clarity; nothing could escape his spiritual perception.

An ordinary Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage cultivator's spiritual sense can only encompass an area of six hundred Zhang-length around them. Even those at the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage can typically only perceive an area of about nine hundred Zhang-length.

Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage, years of nurturing by the Primordial Essence [the purest form of spiritual energy] had already elevated his spiritual sense to rival that of Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators. Now, with an additional thirty percent increase, it had astonishingly reached the extent of one thousand two hundred Zhang-length.

"Legend has it that a Purple Palace, Early Stage [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual consciousness expands dramatically] cultivator's divine sense can envelop an area of ten Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters],"

"which is three thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters]. Though I cannot yet reach such heights, my own range far surpasses that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment, Late Stage [the second major realm of cultivation, focusing on solidifying one's foundation] cultivator."

So mused Eldrin Chen, acclimating to the explosive growth of his spiritual consciousness before finally emerging from his secluded cultivation chamber.

He instructed Caleb and Silas to guard Spirit Lake Isle diligently, then summoned his Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [his lifebound immortal sword, named for its connection to the abyssal flames]. In the blink of an eye, the sword carried Eldrin Chen soaring into the sky.

Over the past few years, his clan had gathered sufficient Dual Metallic Essence and Separated Flame Qi [a rare spiritual essence combining the sharpness of metal and the purity of separated flame], allowing him to refine this Lifebound Immortal Sword [a cultivator's primary weapon, bound to their soul and grown with them] to the Second Rank High Grade [a high tier within the second rank of magical treasures].

With its rank elevated, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss's power surged by more than half. It could now unleash a radiant azure sword-light over ten Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] long, and its speed reached the astonishing pace of ten thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] per day.

After merely half a day's flight, Eldrin Chen had traversed over five thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], arriving at the peak of Verdant Chariot Mountain.

As his sword radiance descended, he saw Chen Seraphina had been waiting for some time. Dispensing with lengthy pleasantries, Eldrin Chen handed her the Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] and the Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that helps gather and consolidate spiritual essence], then inquired,

"How is the tempering of your True Qi [the refined energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] progressing? Are you ready to use the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"The time was a bit rushed; the tempering is not yet fully complete," she replied.

Chen Seraphina said with a trace of nervousness. Strictly speaking, her attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their foundation] at this moment was indeed somewhat rushed.

Within a mere three years, she had elevated her cultivation from the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer [the seventh stage of the first major realm, focused on refining one's vital energy] to the ninth layer, a feat owed entirely to the potency of the Second Rank Spirit Peach. The haste, however, had left her meridians insufficiently tempered.

"The timing is indeed tight," Eldrin Chen acknowledged. "But this Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm] was refined nine years ago. Its medicinal efficacy is on the verge of dissipating. We can wait no longer."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen produced a jade case and offered it to her. "This is a Meridian Tempering Pill [an elixir specifically designed to strengthen and refine a cultivator's energy channels] I recently acquired from the Mu Immortal Clan. It will aid in tempering your meridians." Immerse yourself in the complete world at @udio-novel.com.