Chapter 92 : The Elder's Final Request

Putting away the invitation, Eldrin Chen turned to Verdant River Chen and noticed he seemed to have something on his mind, hesitating to speak.

His brow furrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is there something you wish to say, Uncle?"

Clear River Chen hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "I heard you still possess one more Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that aids in gathering and refining spiritual energy for cultivation breakthroughs]?"

"Indeed, I still have one."

Eldrin Chen nodded. Years ago, he had successfully refined three Essence Gathering Pills. Lior Chen and Verdant Grace Chen had each used one, leaving him with one remaining in his possession.

"This item can assist a cultivator in breaking through to Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation]. But Uncle Verdant River, if you seek 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—Clear River Chen's temples were already streaked with grey, and his eyes held a weary, fading light.

Now, even the Third Elder and Verdant Grace Chen were approaching their seventieth year. This family Second Elder was already past eighty. He had grown old.

Years ago, in order to help Verdant Origin Chen obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill [a rare and potent pill specifically designed to aid the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm], Clear River Chen had repeatedly activated the Ninefold Resonance Bell [a powerful bell-shaped magical treasure that unleashes devastating sonic waves] to clash head-on with a Foundation Establishment-level Demon Ape [a powerful, intelligent ape-like demonic beast]. He had suffered near-fatal injuries from that battle. For the best reading experience, visit (audio-novel.com).

Although he later consumed a Stasis-Dispersing Pill [a pill that disperses stagnant energy and heals injuries] to recover from his wounds, it came at the cost of severely damaging his lifespan. While an ordinary person at the Vital Essence Refinement 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of refining one's vital essence] could typically live to one hundred and twenty years of age, he was unlikely to even reach a century.

"The greatest regret of my life," he began, his voice thick with emotion, "is that before my first Sixty-Year Cycle [a significant sixty-year milestone in a cultivator's life] was complete, I lacked the courage to attempt a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment [the realm where a cultivator establishes their foundational dao core]."

Clear River 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 existence within the Vital Essence Refinement Stage [the initial stage of cultivation focused on refining bodily essence]—what difference do a few more years truly make?"

"Therefore, I wish to seize this chance, while my Vital Energy [the foundational life force energy cultivated by practitioners] has not yet withered entirely, to make one final attempt to breach the Foundation Establishment."

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

These words struck Eldrin Chen's heart like the toll of a massive bell, leaving him feeling as if a great mountain now pressed upon his soul, heavy and suffocating.

If attempting Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [the perilous path of establishing one's foundation without external aids] before the age of sixty offered but a one-in-ten chance of survival, then attempting it after sixty reduced those hopes to virtually zero.

For once Vitality [the innate vigor and life force of a living being] begins to decline, a cultivator's physical body and meridian channels weaken and deteriorate at a precipitous rate.

Clear River Chen's lifespan was grievously damaged; the state of his body now resembled 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 establishing one's foundation], his odds of success would not exceed half a tenth. And yet, he spoke of attempting it with nothing but a single Essence Gathering Pill [a basic pill that helps gather and condense spiritual energy].

Eldrin Chen understood with painful clarity. Clear River Chen was marching toward his end. He would rather die in the throes of a breakthrough, chasing that one-in-a-billion possibility, than lie upon a sickbed a dozen years hence, passively awaiting the arrival of Death.

"Uncle Verdant River..."

Eldrin Chen did not know how to dissuade him, nor what words to offer.

He knew full well that Clear River Chen's actions were a march toward death, a squandering of the Essence Gathering Pill [a precious pill that aids in gathering and refining spiritual energy], yet his hand trembled as he took out the Essence Gathering Pill and thrust it into Clear River Chen's grasp.

After a moment's heavy silence, Eldrin Chen spoke again. "Uncle Verdant River, perhaps... perhaps you should wait a little longer."

"I will go plead with Patriarch Jiang. Perhaps we can purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill [a legendary pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm] for you."

"Silly child."

Clear River Chen patted Eldrin Chen's head, a bittersweet smile touching his lips. "A Foundation Establishment Pill is worth a king's ransom. Even if one could be bought, it should go to someone with a true hope of breaking through."

"An old man like me, with his Vitality [the foundational life force of a cultivator] withered and spent... I don't even believe I can succeed in 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, the Bright Moon [a celestial body often associated with purity and yin energy] hanging high in the Nine Heavens [the highest layers of the cosmos in Chinese mythology].

Eldrin Chen's heart was heavy, filled with a thousand unspoken words yet with no one to confide in.

He soared out of the Heavenly Ruins Market on his flying sword, alighting upon a peak that pierced the clouds. Gazing down upon the boundless sea of mist and the Great Wasteland below, he retrieved an ancient zither.

Seated upon the mountain's crown, his white robes pristine as snow, he placed the zither upon his knees. His fingers lightly brushed the strings, and an ethereal, lingering melody unfurled across the heavens. It echoed like a cry from within the River of Space-Time [a conceptual river representing the flow of time and space], striking deep into the listener's soul.

Time seemed to lose its meaning. Eventually, the final 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 held a flicker of emotion as she asked calmly, "What is the name of that song?" This content originates from audio_novel.com. Please respect copyright.

"The Great Fish."

The answer left Eldrin Chen's lips before he realized. He quickly rose to his feet and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Patriarch Jiang."

Exquisite Jiang shook her head slightly. Standing at the cliff's edge, she looked out over the vast, mist-shrouded land, a faint, almost imperceptible smile 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 Patriarch Jiang?"

Exquisite 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 ephemeral mayfly is born at dawn and dies by dusk, never knowing the distinction between day and night in its entire life!"

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

"You have lived for over thirty years. To it, that is like three thousand lifetimes in the churning Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortals]. 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 great power, those people are no different from mayflies. The entire lifetime of a mortal is but the duration of a brief nap for a Path Lord [a supreme cultivator who has comprehended a fundamental Path of the cosmos].

I watch you be born, watch you grow, watch you in the prime of your youth, watch you gradually age, watch you turn to desiccated bones in a grave mound—yet I remain youthful, achieving Immortality [the state of eternal life, transcending the cycle of birth and death] amidst the Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortals, with all its fleeting joys and sorrows].

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

"You are different from others."

Exquisite Jiang's eyes reflected the boundless earth, as if she could see through the ever-changing tapestry of life within the vast Great Wasteland [a primordial and desolate continent].

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

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen replied with some trepidation, "Legends say only a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a Path Lord whose soul has ascended to the Primordial Spirit realm] can live for ten thousand years. How could this junior be worthy of such praise?"

"You..." Seeing his flustered demeanor, Exquisite Jiang couldn't help but let out a soft, amused laugh. "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 with life, like celestial bodies in the sky, and for a moment, he was utterly entranced.

Seeming to notice his expression, Exquisite Jiang composed herself, turned, and with a sweep of her long skirt, transformed into a streak of sword light that vanished into the heavens.

As that sword radiance vanished 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 in solidifying one's cultivation foundation].

In silence, Eldrin Chen stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the direction of her departure for a long, long time.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and drew a deep, measured breath. A subtle, lingering fragrance seemed to coil within his heart, a scent imbued with a profound tranquility that seeped into his very soul, refusing to fade.

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