Chapter 185 : A Moment of Peach Blossom Rain

His methods were sharp and merciless, his resolve unyielding and severe. Among the low-level cultivators of Bianzhou, rumors swirled that he was a peerless Sword Immortal [a master of the sword path who has ascended to immortality] in a past life, cast down to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation because the karma of his slaughter was too great.

He paid no mind to the gossip of ordinary folk.

His heart was as firm as iron, his conviction an unshakable obsession; he knew his own measure.

In his view, the truest protection for those he loved was to cut down every single foe without exception.

Though he had slain countless enemies on his path, Eldrin Chen harbored no regrets. Yet, the weariness from years of taut nerves was a burden in itself.

It had been a very, very long time since he had last paused to truly savor the beauty of Spirit Isle Lake.

Now, having broken through to the Purple Mansion [a major realm where a cultivator forms a spiritual mansion within their dantian, signifying a great leap in power and longevity] and with the Chen Clan possessing a measure of self-preservation strength, he finally found a rare moment of leisure to appreciate the splendor of the blooming Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove.

Breathing in the floral scent, he strolled out of the pavilion, allowing the spring rain to fall upon his white robes.

With eyes closed, he quietly contemplated Heaven and Earth. The spring rain pattered down, washing over his body as if cleansing both his physical form and his soul.

Not far away, Silas Chen watched in silence. Support the author by reading on audio-novel . com.

To her, he seemed like an immortal who had stepped out of a painting. His snow-white robes draped a figure both upright and slender, standing serenely amidst the wind and rain. His mere presence there seemed to dim the very colors of the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Grove [a legendary grove of peach trees spanning ten Li-lengths].

"Pitter-patter!"

Within the storm, Eldrin Chen stood with lowered gaze, quietly contemplating the aura [the spiritual atmosphere and energy] of the world around him.

An inexplicable sensation arose, as if his soul were ascending. The entire world seemed to freeze in place.

He saw the rain hanging motionless in the sky, each crystal-clear droplet refracting a spectrum of light.

He saw peach blossoms caught in the wind's embrace, a single petal frozen mid-flight with its veins clearly visible, as if yearning for the heavens.

He saw Azure Spirit Fish [a type of spiritually infused fish with azure scales] feeding on aquatic plants, thousands of Spirit Fish [fish that have absorbed spiritual energy] following behind their Fish King [the dominant, most powerful fish in a school], dwelling freely within the water.

An immeasurable time passed. He felt his spiritual sense [a cultivator's extended perception] soaring. Purple Mansion First Layer, Purple Mansion Second Layer [the second layer of the Purple Mansion cultivation realm], Purple Mansion Third Layer…

Only when the strength of his spiritual sense reached the level of the Purple Mansion Fourth Layer did he finally touch its limit.

He felt his thoughts expanding, countless profound inspirations flooding his heart, and endless ingenious ideas flashing through his mind.

"An epiphany?" [a sudden, profound realization or insight]

A glimmer of understanding dawned within Eldrin Chen's heart, and he seized the moment to begin deducing the intricacies of the Solar Separated Flame Scripture [a profound cultivation manual focused on harnessing solar and separated flame energies].

Over the years, he had already advanced his comprehension of the Solar Separated Flame Scripture to the sixth layer of the Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] realm. He had originally estimated that deducing the path to the Purple Mansion [the third major stage, where one opens a spiritual palace within the dantian] realm would require another decade. He never anticipated such a sudden flash of insight today.

At this moment, his thoughts expanded to their utmost limits. The speed of his deductions for this cultivation art became divinely assisted, as if touched by providence. In the blink of an eye, he progressed to the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, and then, without much further effort, successfully charted the course into the profound mysteries of the Purple Mansion realm.

He continued his relentless mental cultivation, pushing the art's theoretical framework all the way to the sixth layer of the Purple Mansion realm. Only then did he feel himself hitting an insurmountable bottleneck, finding it impossible to advance a single step further.

He understood the reason. His personal collection of Purple Mansion Cultivation Art [advanced cultivation techniques for the Purple Mansion realm] was too sparse. Without sufficient reference materials and established methods to draw from, many of the pathways he had devised to reach the Purple Mansion Sixth Layer were born from pure conjecture and creative imagination. This inherent lack of a solid foundation made further progress exceedingly difficult.

Therefore, he ceased his deductions on the cultivation art itself. Capitalizing on the remaining wisps of his epiphanic state, he shifted his focus to deducing the refinement methods for a Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact intimately connected to a cultivator's life force, growing in power with them].

First, he used the refinement method for the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a specific named magical sword] as a blueprint, working in reverse to conceptualize the crafting of another, fundamentally opposite, immortal sword.

Then, using Magnetic Treasure Gold [a rare metal with magnetic properties, prized for artifact crafting] as the primary material, supplemented by Geng Metal Crystal [a crystal imbued with the essence of Geng Metal, one of the heavenly stems] and Refined Gold Crystal [a purified form of gold crystal], he successfully deduced the complete refinement method for a Magnetic Treasure Bracer [a defensive bracer artifact utilizing magnetic forces].

Only after completing the theoretical crafting methods for both magical treasures did Eldrin Chen finally emerge from the depths of his profound epiphany.

"This sudden enlightenment truly arrived as a blessing from the very spirit of fortune."

Eldrin Chen finished deducing the cultivation art and the refinement method for his Life-Bound Magical Treasure, a flicker of emotion passing through his tranquil eyes.

The gains from this enlightenment were immense. His first major achievement was that his spiritual sense had reached the Purple Palace, Mid Stage. While spiritual sense does not equate to cultivation level, the stronger a cultivator's spiritual sense, the greater their chances of a future breakthrough to the Golden Core realm [the third major realm where one forms a solidified golden spiritual core] increase by several degrees.

Furthermore, the deduced Solar Separated Flame Scripture now reached as high as the Purple Mansion Sixth Layer. Although this art was newly created, it was already profoundly mystical.

He believed that with his continuous refinement, this cultivation art would eventually attain a truly astonishing level.

Moreover, while deducing this art, he had also concurrently deduced a divine ability. This ability condensed the power of the solar Separated Flame [a potent, purified flame essence] to manifest a defensive protective aegis. For uninterrupted reading, go to audi0-n0vel.c0m.

This aegis was formed from condensed solar True Flame [a pure, foundational flame energy], its power overwhelmingly domineering. Even a divine ability Flying Sword attack would find it difficult to breach; on the contrary, it risked being scorched and greatly diminished in power by the solar True Flame.

According to Eldrin Chen's deduction, once this divine ability was activated, he would stand firm in the heavens like a golden sun, its vast, golden radiance illuminating heaven and earth.

The defensive power of this ability was also formidable. Channeled with his mana, comparable to that of a Purple Mansion Fourth Layer cultivator, it could likely withstand at least three full-force strikes from a Purple Palace, Mid Stage cultivator wielding their own divine ability.

And so long as it was not overwhelmed by a concentrated barrage of attacks in a short time, he could continuously channel mana to reinforce it. Unless his mana was completely exhausted, this divine ability would safeguard him without fail.

Moreover, because the Solar True Flame [the purest and most potent form of fire energy] is overwhelmingly domineering, it is likely the bane of all demonic creatures. Even if a Demonic Beast [a creature that has cultivated demonic energy, gaining monstrous strength and abilities] relied on its formidable physical body to engage him in close combat, it would likely suffer a grievous defeat.

"A fire-attribute, pure Yang divine ability is truly of unparalleled might."

"Since this divine ability is coalesced from the Solar True Flame, let it be named 'Solar True Aegis' [the Solar True Aegis, a supreme defensive technique forged from the essence of the sun]."

After naming the divine ability, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly once more. "However, to refine the Solar True Aegis, one still requires a Sun Treasure Crystal [a celestial crystal imbued with the concentrated essence of solar energy] as a catalyst."

As a top-tier defensive divine ability, the Solar True Aegis is exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Beyond requiring Separated Flame Qi [a refined spiritual essence of the Separated Flame element], it also needs solar essence as a catalyst. While Separated Flame Qi can be purchased, solar essence is a rarity.

The essence of the Solar True Flame is scattered throughout heaven and earth. A cultivator with Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] cultivation could gather a minuscule amount when the sun blazes directly overhead.

Yet, because solar essence is far too sparse, if a cultivator relied solely on personal collection, it would likely consume ten Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years] to achieve success in this cultivation.

Of course, this is not an absolute rule. For instance, the Sun Treasure Crystal contains concentrated solar power. Legend holds that these crystals are celestial treasures from beyond the heavens, formed over endless eons by absorbing boundless solar energy.

Another tale claims Sun Treasure Crystal are themselves stones from the ancient sun-star, cast off during its celestial motions and, through rare chance, falling into the Purple Realm [a common name for the mortal cultivation world].

Regardless of their origin, they are treasures from beyond the sky, and thus their numbers are exceedingly scarce. Even the lowest Third Rank [referring to the grade of the treasure, equivalent to Purple Mansion realm] Sun Treasure Crystal often holds a value exceeding one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

"Without the Sun Treasure Crystal [a rare crystalline essence that condenses the pure power of the sun], cultivating the Solar True Aegis [a defensive technique that manifests a shield of solidified solar energy] is, for now, an impossibility."

"We can only wait until the Purple Mansion Barter Convention [a grand gathering where high-level cultivators trade rare resources] opens in the future, and then see if we can procure this item from the hands of fellow Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a spiritual mansion within] cultivators." Continue reading this story at audio-novel dot com.