Chapter 260 : The Gathering of Mansion Cultivators

When the time comes, Lyra Jiang would face three Demon Kings alone, and the pressure would likely be immense. After all, she is but one person; if Celestial Ruins Mountain and Scorched Sun Mountain were attacked simultaneously, she would be stretched too thin to manage both fronts.

Having made the decision, Lyra Jiang issued an order that very day, summoning the Purple Mansion Cultivators of the Three Provinces to convene at Celestial Ruins Mountain for a council meeting one month hence.

Seizing the remaining time, Eldrin Chen rode his flying sword back to his clan. He found Old Patriarch in Pingyang City.

Having been away from home for twenty years, Chen Thalion's progress had been swift. Several years prior, he had already stepped into the Purple Mansion Sixth Layer, one step ahead of Eldrin Chen.

Upon seeing Eldrin Chen, Old Patriarch was overjoyed, pulling him aside to recount the events of these past years.

As the old patriarch narrated, Eldrin Chen gained a clear understanding of the clan's situation over these years.

The clan's third Purple Mansion Cultivator, Kael Chen, had now been at the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] for twenty-nine years. Having forged three Life-Bound Magical Treasures [enchanted artifacts permanently bonded to a cultivator's soul], he remained at the Purple Mansion First Layer.

However, the three Magical Treasures [powerful enchanted artifacts] were now nearly fully tempered. It was estimated he would break through to the Purple Mansion Second Layer within ten years, and thereafter advance one layer approximately every twenty years.

Lior Chen had been at the Purple Mansion for twenty years and had also forged his second Life-Bound Magical Treasure. Possessing a superior Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual affinity that determines one's cultivation aptitude] and not having undertaken the immense task of forging three Life-Bound Magical Treasures simultaneously like Kael Chen, he had broken through to the Purple Mansion Second Layer two years prior.

Fifteen years ago, Lila attempted the breakthrough to the Purple Mansion realm. Though she used no external aids, her Anomalous Spiritual Root [a rare and powerful variant of spiritual root] increased her chances of success by thirty percent. Astonishingly, she shattered the threshold of the Purple Mansion in a single, decisive attempt. Published by audio-novel.com (official site). All rights reserved.

When Lila [the young girl raised by Eldrin Chen] achieved her breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual foundation solidifies into a mansion], she was not yet sixty years of age, a feat nearly matching Eldrin Chen's own legendary ascent in his youth.

Ethan Chen [a talented junior of the Chen Clan] also attempted to charge the Purple Mansion thirteen years prior. His efforts were delayed by several years spent forging the Heavenly Separated Twin Swords [a pair of powerful, interconnected flying swords]. When he first attempted the breakthrough on his own, he was merely in his seventies.

Although he did not succeed in breaking through to the Purple Mansion that time, he managed to clear sixty percent of his Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the primary spiritual channel that must be opened to form the Purple Mansion]. It is estimated that his next attempt holds great promise for finally attaining the Purple Mansion realm.

Eight years ago, Chen Elara [a female cultivator of the Chen Clan] made her second attempt to break into the Purple Mansion. Once again, success eluded her. During her first attempt, she had only cleared forty-five percent of her Purple Mansion Dao Meridian, which ultimately proved insufficient.

Following this second failure, she had progressed to clearing eighty percent of the meridian, yet the barrier remained.

This setback, however, struck a heavy blow to Chen Elara's spirit.

Chen Elara is of the same generation as Lior Chen [another Chen Clan cultivator]. Lior Chen succeeded in his breakthrough on his second attempt, attaining the Purple Mansion around the age of one hundred and forty, some twenty years prior.

Delayed by the crafting of her Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally forged and soul-bound enchanted artifact] and hindered in her early years by an inferior cultivation art, Chen Elara had begun her assault on the Purple Mansion roughly a decade later than Lior Chen.

Now in her one hundred and fifties, even if she succeeds a dozen or so years from now, she will be approaching one hundred and seventy.

This failure has effectively cost her thirty precious years. Her remaining lifespan within the Purple Mansion Realm will likely be far more constrained, and her hopes of one day reaching for the Golden Core [the fourth major realm, where spiritual energy condenses into a golden core] have diminished significantly.

Beyond this, Caleb Chen was also preparing to attempt his breakthrough into the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual foundation expands into a vast internal mansion] here. However, the clan currently lacked Five Elements Crystals [rare crystals containing the purified essence of the five fundamental elements, crucial for certain high-level breakthroughs], so he would have to wait a few more years.

As for Silas, her determination ran deep. Not long ago, she had once again attempted to break through to the Purple Mansion without relying on any external aids.

This time, staking everything in a final gamble, she burned her lifeblood essence once more. Astonishingly, she managed to subdue the Mortal Tribulation [the first of the three great tribulations faced by cultivators, a trial of the physical body] in one breath and successfully opened ninety percent of her Purple Mansion Dao Meridian [the primary spiritual channel that must be forged to establish the Purple Mansion realm].

Having reached this stage, Silas Chen's breakthrough to the Purple Mansion without external aids was virtually assured.

Having established her Foundation Establishment [the second major realm, forming a stable spiritual foundation] early, and with the clan's resources plentiful in recent years, she was now merely one hundred and seventeen years old yet had already attempted the Purple Mansion breakthrough twice.

After recuperating for twenty years, she would still only be one hundred and thirty-seven. By then, having broken through to the Purple Mansion unaided, her future prospects would be exceedingly bright.

"That girl,"

Upon hearing the Old Patriarch's account, Eldrin Chen could not help but smile, his heart swelling with joy for Silas Chen.

Tallying it up, in the twenty years since his departure, the clan—besides the four existing Purple Mansion cultivators: Eldrin Chen, the Old Patriarch, Kael, and Lior—had gained a new member in this realm: Lila.

A single clan possessing five Purple Mansion Cultivator [practitioners who have reached the Purple Mansion realm]—such formidable strength would place them firmly within the top five, even among the several dozen Purple Mansion Immortal Clan [clans whose power is anchored by at least one Purple Mansion realm expert] across the entire Chu Kingdom.

Moreover, Silas [the clan member], Ethan [the clan member], Caleb [the clan member], and even Elara [the clan member] have all attempted to break through to the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation] once or twice. For their next attempt, none of them have any certainty of successfully advancing to the Purple Mansion realm.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to take out the cultivation arts he had obtained this time.

"I wish for the clan's senior members to select from these cultivation arts," he stated.

After examining them, Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan] said with a grave expression, "The value of these arts is staggering. They must not be transmitted casually or to just anyone."

"Indeed. I have already devised a method," Eldrin Chen [the protagonist] replied.

Eldrin Chen nodded. He planned to divide these cultivation arts into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. Read the full novel exclusively on audio~novel.com.

The upper volume would contain the Golden Core [the fourth major realm] chapters, the middle volume the Purple Mansion chapters, and the lower volume the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm] chapters.

Henceforth, clan cultivators, upon breaking through to Foundation Establishment, would only be permitted to receive the cultivation methods for the Foundation Establishment realm. Similarly, Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator in the Purple Mansion realm] would only be granted access to the cultivation techniques for the Purple Mansion Realm.

Only upon reaching the Great Perfection of their current realm would they be eligible to receive the cultivation art for the next realm, and they would be required to swear a blood oath not to divulge it lightly.

Upon hearing this, Old Patriarch nodded repeatedly. "In the past, when the clan was small, many matters were handled with simplicity," he acknowledged.

"With the clan's population having grown, this method is indeed the most prudent approach. Even if someone were to lose one of the scrolls, it would not be a critical loss."

Eldrin Chen maintained a calm exterior, though inwardly he knew these Golden Core Realm cultivation arts were anything but ordinary.

To prevent their techniques from falling into enemy hands, the Ethereal Void Sect had deliberately concealed certain essential subtleties within the manuals. To grasp the true essence of these arts, one still required the orally transmitted secret formulas.

To safeguard against the loss of these formulas, he recorded them and hid them within the clan's Spirit Mountain. In the future, should a senior clan member fall, diligent descendants would be able to discover his contingency plan and retrieve the formulas.

Only after establishing these multiple layers of security and creating several backup copies of the manuals did Eldrin Chen finally place the original texts into the Clan Treasury.

With all these matters settled, the two of them finally allowed themselves to relax.

It was then that Eldrin Chen asked Old Patriarch, "Do you wish to switch to cultivating the 'Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Art'?"

"The 'Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Art'..."

Chen Thalion hesitated. The Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Art was a Golden Core-grade cultivation art inherited from the Ethereal Void Sect.

This method, aligned with the dual attributes of metal and fire, was the most suitable cultivation art for the Old Patriarch. Moreover, it could lead one all the way to the Golden Core Ninth Layer.

Most crucially, this method recorded a Divine Ability [a supernatural power cultivated through profound arts] and the crafting method for a Life-Bound Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact bound to a cultivator's soul and life force].

That Divine Ability was named the Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Escape, an Escape Art Divine Ability [a supernatural technique specialized in rapid movement or flight] that simultaneously possessed offensive and pursuit capabilities. When unleashed, it could transform into a blazing golden meteor of fire, sweeping across the heavens.

This escape art was majestic and awe-inspiring in its momentum, and it was also the bane of demonic creatures. Wherever it passed, demons would retreat. It could be considered a rather superior technique within a Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of power] cultivation art.

The Life-Bound Magical Treasure was named the 'Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Sword'. This immortal sword was among the most supreme of Life-Bound Magical Treasure, requiring the smelting and fusion of Blazing Fire Gold Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of blazing fire and metallic purity] to form its blade body.

The Blazing Fire Gold Crystal was a Fourth Rank [a grade corresponding to the Golden Core realm] Heaven and Earth Treasures [a rare natural treasure formed by the convergence of heaven and earth's spiritual essence]. A Golden Radiance Blazing Fire Sword forged from this material would be resplendent and dazzling, radiant and divinely martial—a peerless immortal sword for slaying demons and vanquishing evil. Find this and other novels at audio–novel.com.