Chapter 105 : Return to the Isle of Serenity

After handling the mundane affairs concerning the descendants of Chen Cyrus, Eldrin Chen bid farewell to the Old Patriarch and returned to Spirit Isle Lake by riding his flying sword.

Now that a grand formation had been laid over Mystic Iron Mountain, and the several major Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [powerful clans whose patriarchs have reached the Foundation Establishment realm] of Yu County were unlikely to seize it, there was naturally no need for him to go there unless the Feng Clan from Boyang County made a move.

With Lior Chen stationed there, it was sufficient to safeguard the Mystic Iron Mountain Path-Field [a spiritual field established near the Mystic Iron Mountain]. Furthermore, in comparison, Spirit Lake Isle held far greater importance than Mystic 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 particular day, as Eldrin Chen was immersed in his cultivation, Silas Chen and his sister, Caleb Chen, arrived from beyond Spirit Isle Lake by boat.

Eldrin Chen looked at the two Mortal Path [a foundational cultivation method for mortals] cultivators. "You're back. How was your training journey this time?"

In recent years, Caleb Chen and Silas Chen had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation. They needed to temper their True Essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] over a long period to achieve a Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] breakthrough. Thus, seeking change from their stillness, they had gone to Heavenly Ruins Mountain for training.

"This time at Heavenly Ruins Mountain, we slew many demonic beasts…"

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

"Uncle Eldrin, on my way here, I stopped by Green Chariot Mountain. The Grand Elder asked me to tell 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 [a small enchanted pouch that can hold items in a separate dimensional space]. "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 Herbs [plants imbued with spiritual energy, used in alchemy] required for the Spirit-Concentrating Pill and the Essence Burst Pill.

"Very well, I understand the matter. You may both withdraw. I have several batches of pills to refine."

After dismissing the two, he returned to the Alchemy Chamber [a specially prepared room for pill refinement] and began his work. The first batch he refined was the Essence Gathering Pill.

Over the years, Eldrin Chen's alchemical skills 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 effortless ease.

Using his True Flame [a cultivator's purified inner flame, used for alchemy and combat] to temper the ingredients, it took merely the time for a single day to complete a batch of Essence Gathering Pills, yielding a full six pills upon completion.

After successfully refining the Essence Gathering Pills, Eldrin Chen took out the Fire Spirit Grass. This Fire Spirit Grass was the primary ingredient for the Essence Burst Pill, making it an exceedingly rare and precious material.

The Essence Burst Pill could temporarily increase a Foundation Establishment Mid Stage cultivator's True Essence [the refined spiritual energy within a cultivator's body] by fifty percent, elevating it to a level comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. It was a Precious Pill [a pill of exceptional rarity and power] cultivators used as a life-or-death trump card.

This pill, however, carried a flaw. After consuming it once, the user's meridians [the channels through which spiritual energy flows in the body] would be damaged for a full ten years, requiring careful nurturing throughout that period to restore them to peak condition.

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

"This Essence Burst Pill would be most suitable for my use."

Gazing at the Fire Spirit Grass, Eldrin Chen had this thought. Because he had achieved Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [a superior method of reaching the Foundation Establishment realm through one's own efforts, resulting in a more potent foundation], his True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated by a practitioner] was exceptionally sharp and fierce. Its effect on tempering his meridians was thirty percent stronger than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] cultivator's.

Coupled with the fact that his meridians had been tempered by the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a supreme-grade spiritual energy of immense purity and power] for thirty years, the combined effect was that the resilience of his meridians far surpassed that of cultivators at his same level.

When ordinary people consumed this Essence Burst Pill, their meridians would be damaged and become extremely fragile. However, if he were to take it, it would likely cause only minor damage at most. He would need merely one or two months of rest to recover, and it probably wouldn't affect his ability to fight.

Thinking that once the Essence Burst Pill was successfully refined, he would gain another powerful trump card, Eldrin Chen couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

Suppressing his thoughts, he placed the Fire Spirit Grass into the cauldron and began refining the Essence Burst Pill. With his current alchemy skill, he was already capable of refining this pill, though the success rate for this batch was not particularly high.

After spending three days, Eldrin Chen successfully refined two Essence Burst Pill. This success rate was considered average among Second Rank Mid-Grade [a mid-level practitioner within the second major tier of cultivation] alchemists.

Fortunately, the experience gained from refining the Essence Burst Pill had slightly improved his alchemy skill. This allowed him to make further progress when refining the Spirit-Concentrating Pill [a pill that aids in focusing spiritual energy and enhancing mental clarity for cultivation], ultimately producing three of them.

"Three pills, actually."

Looking at the Spirit-Concentrating Pill before him, Eldrin Chen wore a satisfied smile. Refining three pills in a single batch indicated he now had a fair chance of attempting to break through to the level of a Second Rank High-Grade [a high-level practitioner within the second major tier of cultivation] alchemist.

The Spirit-Concentrating Pill [a rare elixir that enhances spiritual sense] can only be consumed once in a cultivator's lifetime. After ingestion, it increases the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator [a cultivator who has solidified their cultivation foundation] by thirty percent, making it an exceedingly precious spiritual pill.

It must be understood that spiritual sense is of paramount importance. When a cultivator reaches the Violet Sanctum [the realm where one's spiritual energy condenses into a violet core within the dantian], they require sufficient spiritual sense to convert their energy into true magical power. Furthermore, a cultivator's powerful spiritual sense can increase their chances of breaking through to the Violet Sanctum by a significant margin.

"I shall consume one first," he decided.

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 [the metaphysical center of one's mind and spirit]. It continuously nourished and refined 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 over thirty percent. Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel`com.

"This power..."

Eldrin Chen extended his senses. He discovered that within a radius of one thousand two hundred Zhang-lengths [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters], every minute detail was revealed to his spiritual perception; nothing could escape his awareness.

An ordinary cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Foundation Establishment realm] could only perceive their surroundings within six hundred Zhang-lengths. Even those at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage [the late phase of the Foundation Establishment realm] typically only covered about nine hundred Zhang-lengths.

Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment Mid Stage, years of tempering by the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a primordial and pure form of spiritual energy] had already elevated his spiritual sense to rival that of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator. Now, with an additional thirty percent increase, it had astonishingly reached the level of one thousand two hundred Zhang-lengths.

"It is said that a cultivator at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage can extend their divine sense to cover an area of ten Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters]."

"Ten Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] equals three thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters]. While I have not yet reached such a level, my range far surpasses that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator."

With this thought, Eldrin Chen took a moment to acclimate to his dramatically expanded spiritual perception before finally emerging from the Seclusion Chamber.

He instructed Caleb and Silas to guard Spirit Lake Isle well. Then, summoning the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, he soared into the sky with Eldrin Chen in tow, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Over the past few years, his clan had gathered sufficient Metallic Gold and Solar Fire Dual Energy for him, allowing him to refine this Lifebound Immortal Sword to the Second Rank High-Grade.

After its rank advancement, the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword's power had surged by more than fifty percent. It could now unleash a brilliant azure sword-light over ten Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] long, and its speed had reached the astonishing level of ten thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] per day.

After merely half a day of flight, covering over five thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], Eldrin Chen arrived above Green Chariot Mountain.

As his sword-light descended, he saw Seraphina Chen had been waiting for some time. Exchanging few pleasantries, Eldrin Chen handed her the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Essence Gathering Pill, then inquired,

"How is the tempering of your Vital Energy progressing? Are you ready to use the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

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

Seraphina Chen 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 forms a stable spiritual foundation] realm at this moment was indeed somewhat rushed.

In the short span of three years, she had elevated her cultivation from the Vital Essence Refinement 7th Tier [the seventh level of the first major realm, focused on refining one's vital energy] to the ninth tier, all thanks to the efficacy of the Second Rank Spiritual Peach. However, the haste had left her spiritual meridians insufficiently tempered.

"The timing is indeed a bit tight," Eldrin Chen acknowledged. "But this Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in solidifying one's spiritual foundation] was refined nine years ago. Its medicinal potency is on the verge of fading; we cannot afford to wait any longer."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen produced a jade case and handed it over. "This is a Meridian-Tempering Pill [a pill that refines and strengthens the body's energy channels] I recently acquired from the Mu Immortal Clan. It should help you properly temper your meridians." Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel.com (official site).