Chapter 206 Refining Pills

"What a pity for this Celestial Python Lake (Location)."

"Though we have conquered this place, we lack the means to hold it."

Seeing everyone joyfully dividing the treasures, Lyra (Person Name) remarked with some regret.

Eldrin’s eyes flickered slightly, revealing a trace of regret. Although Celestial Python Lake was a fourth-grade spirit vein and even possessed a fourth-grade water vein—making it an exceptionally resource-rich location—its positioning was exceedingly inconvenient.

Centered around Celestial Python Lake (Location), to the northeast lies the territory of the Earthlion Ridge's Earthlion Demon King, while to the southwest stretches the domain of the Moyuan Mountain's Moyuan Demon King. To the north flows the Great Kun River, winding across 2,000,000 li, its waters also home to several demon kings' realms.

Meanwhile, the nearest Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) lay a full 4 100 1000 li away, making reinforcements nearly impossible should any situation arise.

If the Green Sun Sect hadn't lost Scorched Sun Mountain (Location) during the beast uprising, things might have been manageable. But now, with the Azure-Maned Lion Demon King entrenched at Scorched Sun Mountain (Location), it could threaten Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) at any moment.

Without Lyra (Person Name) holding the fort, and with Yan Zi Ji (Person Name) unable to guard the rear indefinitely, Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) stood utterly defenseless against the assault of a Golden Core Demon King.

In such circumstances, stubbornly defending Celestial Python Lake (Location) would be nothing more than courting death.

Lyra had no choice but to abandon Celestial Python Lake. After plundering all the treasures within the lake, she retreated to defend Celestial Ruins Mountain.

At this thought, Eldrin smiled and reassured, "This method allowed us to slay the Celestial Python Demon King and severely cripple the demon race’s power. We can already count this as a resounding victory."

"As for Celestial Python Lake (Location), once our cultivation advances further and we produce 1 or 2 more Golden Core cultivators, we will inevitably claim it entirely in due time."

Lyra nodded with a faint smile. "Devote yourself to cultivation. 1 day, you might just sweep through both Celestial Python Lake and Earthlion Ridge in a single move."

After several days, the group had gathered roughly 70 to 80 percent of the treasures from Celestial Python Lake (Location). Then, they mounted their swords and soared toward Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location).

Before departing, Eldrin took a dozen or so Azure Spirit Clams from the Eldrin River water vein, intending to bring them back and see if they could be cultivated.

This Azure Spirit Clam is a unique product of the Celestial Python Lake's Ren Water Vein, born from absorbing Ren Water essence and spiritual energy. Both its flesh and pearls serve as exceptional cultivation treasures.

However, for their kind to truly thrive and multiply, a substantial amount of Ren Water energy remained essential—ideally sourced from a Ren Water earth vein.

Eldrin considered that Spirit Isle Lake spanned hundreds of miles, was enveloped by a third-order spirit vein, and possessed abundant Ren-water energy. Breeding a small quantity should indeed be feasible.

20-some days later, the group returned to Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location).

Upon arriving at Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location), Lyra (Person Name) declared, "This time I must enter seclusion to break through to the Golden Core realm. The refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) shall be set aside for now."

"Seek me out again once I have concluded my secluded cultivation."

No 1 had any objections, for once Lyra broke through to the Golden Core realm, her magical power would greatly increase. Should she then refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, the time consumed would be significantly reduced, and the pill success rate would also rise by 10 to 20 percent.

After the others had taken their leave, Eldrin remained. Gazing at the stunning beauty before him, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy on her behalf. He finally asked, “How long will it take for you to break through to the Golden Core stage this time?”

"This time, to fully restore my spiritual roots, I'm afraid it will take another 3 years of secluded cultivation." Lyra gazed at the snow-robed man before her, a faint smile gracing her features as she spoke without concealment. "Once my spiritual roots are fully restored, achieving the Golden Core realm will be a certainty."

"3 years, huh."

Eldrin nodded, then continued, "Then 3 years from now, before you break through to the Golden Core stage, I shall seek you out again."

Lyra gazed at him, her luminous eyes shining like stars in the night sky, yet in the end she refrained from further inquiry.

She did not enter seclusion immediately. First, she bid farewell to Yan Zijie (Person Name), then returned to her Spirit Pool Cave Abode (Cultivation Site) to begin seclusion and mend the flaws in her spiritual roots.

For over 2 100 years, he had schemed and plotted—all to mend his spiritual roots and forge the Great Yin Lucent Golden Core. Now, with but 1 final step remaining to complete his spiritual roots, he could scarcely contain his impatience.

Eldrin did not return to Verdant Chariot Mountain immediately. He instructed the elder clan chief to bring back several spiritual herbs with intact vitality for transplantation, and to return the spirit clams to Spirit Isle Lake as well. Meanwhile, he himself proceeded to the underground fire alchemy chamber.

This time, the Chen Clan had allocated an enormous quantity of medicinal herbs and resources, many of which were already beyond revival, so he resolved to refine them into elixirs.

A few days prior, he had been refining mid to low-grade second-tier pills, concoctions such as Spirit-Concentrating Pill (Spiritual Object), Blood-Resolving Pill, and Yuan-Breaking Pill.

Now, his cultivation and alchemy skills far surpassed what they had been in the past. With the added power of a third-grade, high-quality earth fire, he could not only refine a full cauldron of these low-grade pills in a single day, but also achieve a success rate of 70 to 80 percent.

He successfully refined 4 batches of Spirit-Breaking Pills, astonishingly yielding as many as 30 pills. Even with the Chen family's few Foundation Establishment, Early Stage cultivators, they would struggle to fully absorb these elixirs, leaving a considerable portion available for sale.

Fortunately, the Foundation Breaking Elixir was a precious pill for breaking through the Foundation Establishment, Mid Stage bottleneck. Even priced at 1,500 spirit stones per pill, they never lacked buyers. Selling just 20 pills could generate 30,000 spirit stones in revenue for the family.

For a full 15 days, Eldrin refined over a dozen batches of low-to-mid grade Tier 2 elixirs before finally commencing the refinement of high-grade Tier 2 elixirs.

This time, the second-grade premium elixirs he intended to refine were primarily of 2 types: 1 being Marrow-Jade Elixir, and the other being Verdant Origin Elixir.

The Verdant Origin Pill was a medicinal elixir used to break through bottlenecks at the Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). Each pill was valued at approximately 3,000 spirit stones—nearly equivalent to 2-thirds the worth of a top-grade second-tier magical treasure.

With his third-tier, lower-grade alchemy skills, his success rate in refining this pill was already considerable. He spent 10 days' effort to consecutively brew 3 cauldrons of the Green Origin Pills.

The first batch of Qingyuan Pills yielded 4 pills, the second batch produced 5, while the third batch—a stroke of exceptional fortune—resulted in 6 perfectly refined pills.

In total, 15 Qingyuan Pills were successfully refined. The value of Qingyuan Mushroom generally hovers around 5,000 spirit stones, and when factoring in the auxiliary herbs, the total cost for 1 batch of Qingyuan Pills amounts to 8,000 spirit stones.

Typically, refining 3 Qingyuan Pills per batch would guarantee a steady profit. This time, Eldrin averaged 5 pills per cauldron, bringing the cost down to a mere 1,600 spirit stones per pill.

The Jade Marrow Elixir is a precious pill that enhances cultivation. After consuming this pill, a cultivator can gain 20 years of cultivation.

These 20 years of cultivation were not equivalent to actual 20 years of practice, but merely a benchmark using ordinary Foundation Establishment as the standard. In truth, it would roughly allow a Foundation Establishment cultivator to refine a single layer of cultivation to perfection.

Back in the day, both Eldrin and the old clan leader had consumed the Marrow Elixir Pills. After taking it, Eldrin’s cultivation immediately reached perfection at the third level of Foundation Establishment. It was also through this pill that the old clan leader swiftly broke through to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.

Over the years, the family's Lior (Person Name), Chen Qingwan, and several other elders who had achieved Foundation Establishment earlier had fully repaid their debts for the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object). Moreover, through the chaos of demon beasts and several major clan battles, they had accumulated a considerable amount of merit.

Now that they are exchanging for this batch of Jade Marrow Pills and Qingyuan Pills, their breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) will likely be accelerated by several decades.

Chapter 1: The Reborn Youth Mount Canglan, Outer Sect. A dilapidated wooden house stood silently in the mountain breeze. Inside, a youth of 15 or 16 years lay on a simple bed, his face pale as paper. Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered, and he awoke. "Where... am I?" The youth struggled to sit up, his mind a chaotic whirlpool of memories. He was Ye Chen, an outer sect disciple of the Mount Canglan Sect. 3 days prior, during a sparring session with his senior apprentice brother Zhang Hu, he had been severely injured by a malicious blow. The original Ye Chen had already perished from his wounds, and now, inhabiting his body was a soul from the modern world—a top-tier assassin who went by the same name. "I've actually... crossed over?" Ye Chen surveyed the crude surroundings, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. In his previous life, he was the legendary "Shadowless Dagger," feared throughout the assassin world, only to die from a poisoned bullet. Now, reborn in this youth's body, he found himself in a world where cultivators soared through the skies and wielded earth-shattering power. Just then, the door was kicked open with a bang. A burly young man swaggered in, a contemptuous smirk on his face. "Ye Chen, you worthless trash! Hand over your monthly allocation of 3 spirit stones, and I might just let you live a little longer." This was none other than Zhang Hu, the very 1 who had beaten Ye Chen to the brink of death. A cold gleam flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. In his past life, he had never tolerated such insolence. But now, his new body was severely injured, and his cultivation was merely at the third level of Body Refining, whereas Zhang Hu had already reached the fifth level. A direct confrontation was impossible. "Senior Brother Zhang, my injuries are still severe. Could you perhaps... be a little more considerate?" Ye Chen feigned weakness, his voice trembling. Zhang Hu laughed derisively, even more pleased. "Considerate? In this world, strength is everything! A weakling like you deserves nothing!" As he spoke, he reached out to grab the small cloth pouch at Ye Chen's waist—the very pouch containing his 3 spirit stones. But at that moment, Ye Chen's eyes sharpened. He gathered all the strength left in his body and struck out like a venomous snake, aiming precisely for Zhang Hu's throat. This was the assassination technique from his previous life—swift, precise, and ruthless! Zhang Hu had not expected Ye Chen, who seemed on the verge of death, to suddenly retaliate. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too to dodge. "Gah—!" Zhang Hu clutched his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief. He never imagined that this outer sect disciple, usually as meek as a lamb, would possess such lethal techniques. "You... you..." Blood gushed from Zhang Hu's throat, and he collapsed to the ground, dead. Ye Chen panted heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead. That single strike had drained the last of his energy. Just as he was about to catch his breath, a searing pain erupted in his mind. Countless mysterious symbols surged into his consciousness, eventually coalescing into 4 ancient, golden characters: Heavenly Dao Scripture. "This is...?" Ye Chen was stunned. He discovered that this Heavenly Dao Scripture was an unparalleled cultivation method capable of devouring all things in heaven and earth to enhance his own cultivation. More importantly, it contained boundless mystical abilities and combat techniques. A flash of excitement crossed Ye Chen's eyes. With this divine scripture, he could finally gain a foothold in this world! He immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Heavenly Dao Scripture according to the method described. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth swarmed toward him like a tidal wave, pouring into his body. The serious injuries that had plagued him began to heal at a visible rate. Even his cultivation, stuck at the third level of Body Refining for 3 years, showed signs of breaking through. After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed within them. "The fourth level of Body Refining! And my injuries are almost completely healed!" He gazed at Zhang Hu's corpse on the ground, a cold smile curling his lips. "Since I've been reborn into this world, I will surely reach the pinnacle of the heavenly path. As for those who have wronged me... I will make them pay a 1000 times over!" The setting sun cast its afterglow through the window, illuminating Ye Chen's resolute face. A brand-new journey was about to begin.