Chapter 185 : The Sword Immortal's Spring Rain

His methods were sharp and merciless, his resolve unyielding and severe. Among the low-level cultivators of Border Province, rumors swirled that in a past life, he had been a peerless Sword Immortal [a supreme master of the sword path], cast down to the mortal realm to atone for the overwhelming slaughter he had wrought.

The chatter of ordinary folk held no weight for him.

His heart was tempered like iron, his conviction an unshakable obsession; he alone knew the measure of his own path.

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

Though the road behind him was littered with the bodies of countless enemies, Eldrin Chen harbored no regrets. Yet, the relentless tension of years spent on a razor's edge had taken its own toll, a constant pressure upon his spirit.

It had been an age since he had last paused to truly savor the beauty of Spirit Isle Lake.

Now, having broken through to the Violet Sanctum [a profound realm of cultivation where one's spiritual foundation solidifies into a sanctum], and with the Chen Clan possessing a newfound strength to defend itself, he finally found a rare moment of leisure to appreciate the splendor of the blooming Ten-Mile Peach Blossoms.

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

Eyes closed, he quietly contemplated the heavens and earth. The spring rain pattered down, washing over his form as if cleansing both body and soul.

Not far away, Silas Chen watched in silent stillness. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel . com.

She felt he was like an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality through cultivation] who had stepped out of a painting. His snow-white robes draped a tall and slender frame, standing silently amidst the wind and rain. His mere presence there seemed to dim the vibrant colors of the Ten-Mile Peach Blossoms [a famous scenic location renowned for its vast expanse of peach trees].

"Pitter-patter!"

Amidst the wind and rain, Eldrin Chen stood with lowered eyes, quietly contemplating the aura [the ambient spiritual energy and atmosphere] of the world around him.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt as if his soul was ascending. The entire world seemed to freeze in place.

He saw the rain suspended in the sky, each crystal-clear droplet refracting a spectrum of seven-colored light.

He saw peach blossoms caught in a gust of wind, a single petal frozen mid-air with its intricate veins clearly visible, as if yearning to soar towards the heavens.

He saw the Azure Verdant Spirit Fish [a type of spiritually attuned fish with azure scales] feeding on aquatic plants, with thousands of Spirit Fish [fish imbued with spiritual energy] following their king, dwelling freely within the water.

An unknowable amount of time passed. He felt his spiritual sense [a cultivator's extended perception] rapidly expanding: Violet Sanctum 1st Tier, Violet Sanctum 2nd Tier, Violet Sanctum 3rd Tier…

Only when the strength of his spiritual sense reached the Violet Sanctum 4th Tier did he finally touch its limit.

He felt his thoughts scattering and expanding. Countless profound inspirations flooded his heart, and endless ingenious ideas flashed through his mind.

"An epiphany?"

A flash of profound understanding dawned within Eldrin Chen's heart, and he seized the moment to begin deducing the intricacies of the Solar Solar Fire Scripture.

Over the years, he had already advanced the Solar Solar Fire Scripture to the sixth tier of the Foundation Establishment realm. He had originally estimated that reaching the Violet Sanctum Realm would require another decade of effort. He never imagined he would suddenly gain such insight today.

Now, with his thoughts expanding to their utmost limits, the speed of his deductions for this cultivation art became divinely assisted. In the blink of an eye, he progressed it to the ninth tier of Foundation Establishment, and then, without much further difficulty, broke through into the Violet Sanctum Realm.

He continued until he had deduced the method to the sixth tier of the Violet Sanctum Realm. Only then did he feel himself hitting a bottleneck, finding it difficult to advance any further.

He understood the reason. His collection of Violet Sanctum-level cultivation arts was too sparse, offering insufficient reference material. Many of the methods he had deduced for reaching the sixth tier were born from pure conjecture and creation, hence the difficulty in progressing.

Thus, he ceased deducing the cultivation art. While the state of epiphany had not yet ended, he shifted his focus to deducing the refinement method for a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact forged with a cultivator's essence, growing in power alongside them].

First, by working backwards from the refinement method of the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword, he deduced the blueprint for an Immortal Sword [a divine blade of peerless sharpness and spiritual resonance] of a completely opposite nature.

Then, using Magnetic Essence Gold as the primary material, supplemented by Metallic Gold Essence Crystal and Acrid Metal Crystal, he deduced the refinement method for a Primordial Magnetic Treasure Bracelet [a mystical bracelet that harnesses the fundamental forces of magnetic attraction and repulsion].

Only after completing the deduction of the refinement methods for both magical treasures did Eldrin Chen finally emerge from his state of profound epiphany.

"This sudden enlightenment truly feels like a blessing bestowed by the very heavens."

Having completed the deduction of the cultivation art and the forging method for the Lifebound Magical Treasure, a ripple of emotion stirred within Eldrin Chen's calm eyes.

This enlightenment had brought him immense gains. His first major achievement was that his spiritual sense had reached the Violet Sanctum 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.

Furthermore, the deduced Solar Solar Fire Scripture had already reached the Violet Sanctum 6th Tier. Although this was a newly created art, its profundity was already remarkable.

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

While deducing this art, he had also, as a natural extension, derived a divine ability. This ability condensed the power of Solar Solar Fire to manifest a defensive protective barrier. The story continues at audio‑novel.com.

This barrier was formed from condensed Solar True Flame, its power overwhelmingly potent. Even a flying sword empowered by a divine ability would find it difficult to breach; instead, it risked being damaged by the Solar True Flame's searing power.

According to Eldrin Chen's deduction, once activated, this divine ability would make him stand upon the Heavenly Vault like a golden sun, its vast, radiant light illuminating heaven and earth.

The defensive power of this ability was also formidable. Driven by his mana, which was comparable to the Violet Sanctum 4th Tier, it could likely withstand at least three full-force assaults from a Violet Sanctum Mid Stage cultivator.

As long as the barrier was not shattered 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 remain his steadfast guardian.

Moreover, because the Solar True Flame [a divine flame of pure solar essence] is overwhelmingly potent, it is likely the bane of all demonic and monstrous beings. Even if a demonic beast, relying on its formidable physical body, were to engage him in close combat, it would likely suffer a grievous defeat.

"A fire-attribute Primordial Solar Divine Ability [a supreme divine art harnessing the power of the primordial sun], it truly is of overwhelming potency," he murmured.

"Since this divine ability is formed by coalescing the Solar True Flame, let it be named the 'Solar True Aegis' [the Aegis of Solar Truth]," he declared.

After naming the divine ability, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly once more. "However, to refine the Solar True Aegis, I still require a Solar Treasure Crystal [a crystalline treasure imbued with concentrated solar energy] to serve as the catalyst."

As a top-tier defensive Art of Divine Subjugation [a supreme art for subduing divine forces], the Solar True Aegis was exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Beyond needing Solar Fire Essence [the refined essence of solar flame], it also required Solar Energy [the pure, condensed power of the sun] as a catalyst. While Solar Fire Essence could potentially be purchased, obtaining Solar Energy was a far rarer feat.

The aura of the Solar True Flame was scattered throughout heaven and earth. A cultivator with Violet Sanctum [the Violet Sanctum realm of cultivation] cultivation could, under the blazing midday sun, gather a minuscule amount.

Yet, because this Solar Energy was far too diffuse, if one relied solely on a cultivator's personal gathering efforts, it would likely consume ten full Sixty-Year Cycle [cycles of sixty years] to achieve success in the cultivation.

Of course, this was not an absolute rule. For instance, the Solar Treasure Crystal inherently contained solar power. Legend held that these crystals were Exotic Treasure [rare and wondrous treasures] from beyond the heavens, objects that had absorbed boundless solar energy over countless eons.

There was also a theory that Solar Treasure Crystal were themselves stones from an Ancient Solar Star [an ancient, primordial star], cast off during the star's celestial motions and, through sheer chance, falling into the Purple Seal Realm [the realm known as Purple Seal].

Regardless of its origin, this was ultimately a treasure from beyond the heavens, and thus its quantity was exceedingly scarce. Even the lowest grade, a third-rank Solar Treasure Crystal, often commanded a value exceeding one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

"Without the Solar Treasure Crystal [a rare crystalline substance imbued with the essence of the sun], cultivating the Solar True Aegis [a divine defensive technique that manifests a shield of solar energy] is currently impossible."

"We can only wait until the Violet Sanctum Barter Convention [a grand gathering and trade fair for cultivators of the Violet Sanctum realm] opens in the future, and then see if we can purchase this item from fellow cultivators of the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a Violet Palace within their dantian]." Original English translation available at audio_novel.com.