Chapter 111 : A Pill of Foundation and Fate

Only then did Eldrin Chen snap back to his senses, hurriedly lowering his head and saying, "One should not look upon what is improper. This junior has been discourteous."

Her expression remained calm as she asked with utter seriousness, "Am I very beautiful?"

"Ah..." Eldrin Chen was momentarily taken aback, but still followed his heart's judgment. "Senior's beauty is peerless in this world. I fear even the celestial maidens of the Nine Heavens could not compare."

Exquisite Jiang pondered for a moment, then after a long pause, nodded seriously.

"What you say is correct."

Eldrin Chen: "..."

"What matter brings you to seek me out this time?"

Observing his expression, a flicker of amusement passed through Exquisite Jiang's eyes before she finally inquired about his purpose.

Hearing her broach the main subject, Eldrin Chen promptly produced the Demonic Roc Inner Pill [the condensed life essence core of a powerful demonic roc]. "My purpose in coming," he said, "is to entrust you with refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pill [a crucial pill that aids a cultivator in solidifying their foundation for the next major realm]."

Exquisite Jiang took the Demonic Roc Inner Pill, her tone one of approval. "This is a fine material." This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel .c om.

"To have slain it, it seems your strength has grown considerably these past years."

"By the way, are the supplementary herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in solidifying one's cultivation foundation to advance to the Foundation Establishment realm] fully prepared?"

Eldrin Chen handed over a Storage Bag [a spatial artifact used to store items] and said, "Time was too rushed. We were unable to find seventeen types of Spirit Herb [plants infused with spiritual energy, used in alchemy and cultivation]."

"When we captured the Supple Wood Earth Vein [a spiritual land rich in wood-attributed energy], we obtained quite a few Spirit Herb. I happen to have these particular ones."

"Follow me."

After examining the contents of the Storage Bag, Exquisite Jiang led Eldrin Chen directly into the Alchemy Chamber [a specialized room for pill refinement].

For alchemists, their pill-refining techniques are often closely guarded secrets. Yet, Exquisite Jiang did not avoid Eldrin Chen's presence, allowing him to observe the refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pill from the side.

Observing a high-rank alchemist at work was a rare opportunity. Eldrin Chen watched with meticulous care, determined not to miss a single detail that could aid his own progress.

Once the refinement began, harnessing the power of the Third-Rank Earthfire [a potent, earth-born flame suitable for high-level alchemy], Exquisite Jiang expended little effort in processing and refining all the supplementary herbs.

After completing this step, Exquisite Jiang retrieved the third-rank Demon Core [the condensed energy core of a powerful demonic beast] and began to explain while simultaneously refining it with the earthfire.

"To refine a Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm], two primary ingredients are particularly suitable: the Purple Marrow Fruit and the Violet Sanctum Demon Core [the crystallized core of a Violet Sanctum realm demonic beast]."

"The Purple Marrow Fruit requires a full millennium to mature and consumes vast amounts of spiritual energy. Therefore, within the Chu Nation, aside from the three great sects, none of the other major Immortal Clan [clans of cultivators] can cultivate it in large quantities."

"Within the Vast and Misty Marsh, demonic beasts are countless. Thus, the Violet Sanctum Demon Core is actually more commonly found there."

As she spoke, Exquisite Jiang channeled her magic power, refining the pure energy and the Creation [the primordial force of life and genesis] essence contained within the Violet Sanctum Demon Core.

Eldrin Chen listened quietly, gradually understanding that the yield of Foundation Establishment Pill is often directly related to the grade of the Violet Sanctum Demon Core used.

The Demon Core [the energy core of a demonic beast] from a Violet Sanctum Early Stage beast contains neither an abundance of Creation force nor vast reserves of magic power. Consequently, it can produce at most five Foundation Establishment Pill per batch.

The Demon Core from a Violet Sanctum Mid Stage beast holds a significantly greater amount of Creation force, allowing a single cauldron to yield up to eight pills. As for the mighty beasts at the Violet Sanctum Late Stage, the Creation force within their bodies is astonishingly potent, sufficient to refine two full batches of Foundation Establishment Pill.

"This particular Demon Core is a Thunder Roc Demon Core, imbued with a violent Thunderclap Spirit [a spirit essence of thunder and lightning]. It is highly detrimental to a cultivator's Foundation Establishment [the process of establishing one's foundational cultivation]."

"With my cultivation level, I can use my magic power to separate out the Thunderclap Spirit. However, your cultivation is insufficient. If you wish to use this Inner Pill [another term for a demon core] to refine Foundation Establishment Pill, you would need to neutralize its volatile spiritual nature with either Positive Water Quintessence or Essence of Final Water [a spiritual essence of profound, calming water]."

"..."

Exquisite Jiang explained the process while channeling her spiritual power to refine the Demon Core. She meticulously purged the lingering Thunderclap Force [a violent, explosive energy] from within it, separating out the purest strands of Creation [the fundamental life-giving and world-shaping force] and raw energy. This essence was then fused with the auxiliary herbs and simmered in a prolonged, alchemical crucible.

Eldrin Chen watched with rapt attention, feeling as if a profound clarity was washing over him. His understanding of the alchemical arts deepened significantly with each passing moment.

Noting his moment of enlightenment, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Exquisite Jiang's eyes. She subtly increased the intensity of the refining flames, hastening the process.

Before long, she separated the concoction into four distinct orbs of medicinal liquid. After a final seven days of gentle, sustained heat, the four Foundation Establishment Pill [a precious pill that aids in solidifying a cultivator's foundation for the next major breakthrough] were successfully completed.

Eldrin Chen's face lit up with pleasant surprise. Producing four pills from a single batch was nearing the theoretical limit for a Third Rank Lower Grade Demon Core. The difficulty of refining Foundation Establishment Pill was immense; even many seasoned Fourth-Rank Alchemist might not achieve such a success rate.

Furthermore, the yield of only four pills was partly due to the inferior quality of the Demon Core itself. The Violet Sanctum Demonic Roc had been merely at the Violet Sanctum 1st Tier [the first level of the Violet Sanctum realm], and the amount of Creation essence it contained was regrettably sparse. Read the full novel exclusively on @udio-novel.com.

With the pills complete, Exquisite Jiang handed all four Foundation Establishment Pill to him, a soft smile gracing her lips as she spoke.

"Four pills from the batch. A satisfactory result."

Eldrin Chen accepted them, then immediately retrieved two and offered them back to her. He met her gaze earnestly. "You provided many of the auxiliary herbs, and the refinement was entirely your skill. Consider these two as rightful compensation."

"Oh."

Exquisite Jiang's eyes flickered slightly as she took one of the Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that aids in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm]. "I do have a grand-disciple in urgent need of one," she said. "As for the others, you should keep them. Your clan undoubtedly has greater need for such resources."

Eldrin Chen hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the three remaining Foundation Establishment Pill. After deciding on their allocation, he then produced the skeletal remains of the Violet Sanctum Demonic Roc.

"Please examine these bones," he requested. "Do you believe they can be forged into a Third Rank Magical Artifact [a powerful enchanted artifact]?"

"This Demonic Roc actually awakened the Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape [a divine ability allowing for instantaneous, lightning-fast movement]," Exquisite Jiang remarked with a note of surprise after a glance at the demonic bones.

She studied the skeletal frame more closely, a soft exclamation of interest escaping her lips.

Only then did Eldrin Chen understand. Not every Violet Sanctum Demonic Roc could awaken such an innate divine ability. For one to manifest this particular Escape Technique Divine Ability, especially while only at the Violet Sanctum Early Stage [the initial phase of the Violet Sanctum realm], marked it as exceptionally gifted among its kind.

After her appraisal, Exquisite Jiang pondered for a moment before speaking. "The bones of this Demonic Roc possess a natural affinity for extreme speed. If forged into a magical treasure, they could retain the essence of the 'Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape' technique."

"I see two viable paths for its crafting," she continued.

"The first is to forge these bones into a small Third-Rank Spirit Boat [a flying vessel powered by spiritual energy]. Such a spirit boat could traverse thirty thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day. When its latent 'Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape' ability is activated, its speed would temporarily triple. The sole drawback is its limited capacity, suitable for only one or two passengers."

"The second option," she explained, "is to use this demonic bone as the core Dragon Bone [a term for the primary structural frame of a high-grade spirit vessel], supplementing it with other materials to create a Medium Third-Rank Spirit Boat. While its speed would be reduced to eighteen thousand Li-length per day, it could comfortably carry up to thirty individuals at once."

Eldrin Chen hesitated for a moment. The former was a sharp tool for pursuing enemies and escaping danger, while the latter could serve as a foundational treasure for a faction's legacy.

If he were a rogue cultivator, he would naturally choose the former without a second thought. But with the backing of the Chen Immortal Clan, he had to consider the clan's needs as well.

With this in mind, he asked, "Can the Medium Spirit Ship [a large, enchanted vessel capable of flight and traversing spiritual currents] also activate the Thunderclap Lightning Flash Escape [a supreme movement technique that allows the user to vanish and reappear like a thunderclap and lightning flash]?"

"It can," Exquisite Jiang nodded. "However, the Medium Treasure Ark [another term for a Medium Spirit Ship, emphasizing its protective and cargo-carrying functions] is significantly heavier. Therefore, it can only increase its speed by twofold."

"That settles it. We shall forge the Medium Spirit Ship," Eldrin declared, his resolve firm.

With the Medium Spirit Ship secured for the future, the logistical coordination between the various strongholds of the Chen Clan would become vastly more efficient. The transport of personnel and vital supplies, once a cumbersome undertaking, would be streamlined beyond measure.

Previously, redeploying Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines the body's vital life energy] cultivators between locations could take over ten days. Henceforth, such journeys could be completed within a single day.

Furthermore, the trade of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the harmonized powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth] with Heavenly Ruins Mountain would become far more convenient. No longer would clan cultivators need to spend half a year on round trips. With the immense cargo capacity of the Medium Spirit Ship, the entire annual quota could be fulfilled in merely one or two voyages. This chapter is provided by *audio-novel.com*. Support the original.