Chapter 266 : A Clan's Desperate Gambit

The Fang Immortal Clan exhausted their foundational reserves and borrowed five hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] from the Qian Clan, finally managing to gather two million Spirit Stones to purchase one.

Xavier Xu emptied his entire personal fortune, bringing out wealth accumulated over three centuries. However, he possessed no particularly valuable Hundred Crafts of Cultivation [a category of cultivation arts focused on crafting and production], and his own cultivation had consumed a significant portion of his resources. He had less than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones on hand.

With no other choice, he sold off all his magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] of the third rank, middle and lower grades. Yet, this effort only amassed a little over three hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

The Xu Clan naturally exerted their full strength to aid Xavier Xu. To procure this Golden Core Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forming a Golden Core], every one of the Xu Clan's six thousand-plus cultivators contributed a large sum of Spirit Stones. The five hundred thousand Spirit Stones stored within the Clan Treasury were also completely drained.

They then sold off more than a dozen stockpiled Third Rank Magical Artifact [magical treasures of the third rank] accumulated over many years, raising only about one point four million Spirit Stones.

Continuing this way, unless they sold off the clan's foundational assets or disposed of their Clan-Suppressing Supreme Treasure [a clan's most powerful protective artifact], they would still fall short of the required sum.

Unwilling to sell the clan's core properties or part with their Clan-Suppressing Supreme Treasure, Xavier Xu approached the Chen Clan. He used the clan's share in the Cangkun Mountain Earth Vein [a subterranean spiritual energy channel] as collateral to borrow six hundred thousand Spirit Stones from the Chen Clan.

According to the terms of this collateral agreement, the profits from this Earth Vein for the next fifty years would belong to the Chen Clan.

The Xu Clan held a fifty-five percent share in Cangkun Mountain. The annual output of Second Rank [the Foundation Establishment realm] materials from the mountain's Earth Vein alone brought them over ten thousand Spirit Stones in profit. This arrangement alone promised significant benefit for the Chen Clan.

Furthermore, the Spiritual Vein [a concentrated flow of spiritual energy within the earth] would produce one Cultivable Earth Crystal [a crystalized form of earth-attribute spiritual energy suitable for cultivation] every thirty years, along with other third-rank, earth-attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures [rare and potent spiritual resources]. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at http://www . audio-novel.com.

These items were all of considerable value, many even requiring a premium to acquire. Eldrin Chen estimated their worth to be around three hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. This would serve as the interest for the Chen Clan.

The Xu Clan took the funds, purchased the Golden Core Formation Pill [a supreme elixir for forming a Golden Core] with satisfaction, and continued to gather resources and treasures for Xavier Xu. It seemed they were preparing to exert their full strength to enable Xavier Xu to attempt a breakthrough to the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, forming a solidified core of power] before the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts].

Lending out six hundred thousand Spirit Stone at once had nearly emptied the Chen Clan's coffers, which had been accumulated over many years.

Fortunately, the clan's current financial situation was robust. In recent years, they had managed to retain a surplus of tens of thousands of Spirit Stone annually, so they were not plunged into undue hardship.

After all, the Chen Clan's industrial holdings were now second to none among the Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [powerful clans whose patriarchs have reached the Violet Sanctum realm] within the Chu Nation.

The Third Rank Superior Grade Spiritual Vein [a high-quality vein of concentrated spiritual energy] and the Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean vein of potent fire energy] at Origin Source Mountain alone brought the clan an annual income of thirty thousand Spirit Stone. This was not even counting the several Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with spiritual energy] and Earth Vein [veins of concentrated earthly spiritual energy] they possessed.

Relying on this steadily growing portfolio of assets, the clan thrived despite supporting five Violet Sanctum [the fourth major realm of cultivation, opening the mystical Violet Palace within the dantian] cultivators, several dozen Foundation Establishment [the second major realm, solidifying one's cultivation foundation] experts, and thousands of Vital Essence Refinement [the first major realm, refining one's vital life energy] disciples.

"..."

Meanwhile, Eldrin Chen returned from Green Chariot Mountain, delivered the Solar Fire Crystal [a crystal imbued with pure solar fire energy] to Caleb, and then entered secluded cultivation.

His cultivation had now lingered at the Violet Sanctum 5th Tier for many years, and he could finally feel the threshold of the Violet Sanctum 6th Tier [the sixth minor stage within the Violet Sanctum realm] within his grasp.

After three months of secluded cultivation, his breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum 6th Tier finally came as naturally as water flowing in its course.

Having reached this stage, his spiritual power [the energy cultivated and wielded by practitioners of the mystical arts] now rivaled that of a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum, marking another significant leap in his combat prowess.

"It seems achieving a breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum Late Stage before the Beast Tide is virtually assured," he mused.

Eldrin Chen allowed a smile to touch his lips. A breakthrough to the Violet Sanctum Late Stage would undoubtedly bring about a monumental surge in his strength.

Although he had broken through to the Violet Sanctum 6th Tier, he did not relax his cultivation efforts. Instead, he began concurrently practicing the Verdant Void Body Tempering Art.

The Verdant Void Body Tempering Art was the unique body-refining technique of the Verdant Void Sect. While the Verdant Void Sect was not particularly renowned for body cultivation, this art was, after all, a legacy from an Infant Soul Sect. Within the borders of Chu Nation, it remained a first-rate, top-tier body-refining method.

While a cultivator's True Essence [the refined spiritual energy cultivated within a practitioner's body] could also temper the physical form, its gentle nature and non-specialized purpose made the process relatively slow.

With the Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [a primal, chaotic energy of violet hue used for profound cultivation] tempering his body, Eldrin Chen's physical constitution was already formidable. It was only a matter of time before he could refine his flesh to the level of the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum.

This process, however, required considerable time. Practicing the Verdant Void Body Tempering Art now was merely a means to accelerate this inevitable progression.

"With the aid of the Flesh and Blood Precious Pill [a potent elixir refined from the essence of powerful creatures] from a Pseudo-Core Realm Demon King, my physical cultivation is certain to reach its pinnacle this time."

Eldrin Chen retrieved the Flesh and Blood Precious Pill from the Verdant Lion Mastiff and murmured to himself without a change in expression.

He swallowed the Precious Pill in one gulp and immediately began circulating his cultivation art to refine it.

A thunderous boom echoed within him. After being ingested, the Flesh and Blood Precious Pill transformed into a vast, surging essence that flooded his entire body. As this torrential vital energy was absorbed, the strength of his physical form rapidly intensified, growing more formidable by the moment.

"..."

Time flowed swiftly, like an unceasing river.

On this day, Eldrin Chen awoke from his secluded cultivation. He calculated the time with his fingers and realized sixteen years had passed in seclusion. The complete novel can be found at audio-novel-dot-com.

Those sixteen years had slipped by in a blur. He had devoted himself wholeheartedly to his closed-door training, rarely emerging from the Seclusion Chamber.

Unbeknownst to him, his physical body had already been tempered to the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the peak of the Violet Sanctum realm for the physical body], and his cultivation base was on the verge of touching the threshold of the Violet Sanctum Late Stage.

Given just one or two more years to adjust his state and accumulate a bit more spiritual power, he was confident he could break through to the Violet Sanctum Late Stage.

During these years of his seclusion, both the Chu Nation and the Chen Immortal Clan had undergone continuous and significant changes.

After three months of secluded cultivation, Caleb made his second attempt to break through to the Violet Sanctum. This time, after consuming a Solar Fire Crystal [a crystal imbued with the essence of solar fire, used to catalyze breakthroughs], he succeeded, becoming the sixth Violet Sanctum Cultivator in the clan.

At the age of one hundred and seventeen, achieving the Violet Sanctum was considered truly exceptional. Although he had not broken through unaided, his abundant remaining lifespan meant he still harbored a sliver of hope for a future breakthrough to the Golden Core.

Five years later, the Old Patriarch completed his cultivation cycle. Consuming two Violet Aura Cloud-Vein Pill [a high-grade pill that refines spiritual energy and clears meridian pathways], he successfully advanced to the Violet Sanctum Late Stage.

A decade later, Elara Lin, Xavier Xu, and Patriarch Fang each attempted to charge the Golden Core Realm, yet all fell just short of success.

Fortunately, the Golden Core Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in condensing the Golden Core] lived up to its exorbitant price of two million Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. While it did not secure their breakthrough, it allowed them to ascend to the Pseudo-Core Realm [a transitional state where a cultivator's spiritual energy begins to coalesce, mimicking a nascent Golden Core].

A Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivator attempting the Golden Core Realm again would possess a thirty percent chance of success. Thus, all three now held a genuine hope of one day forming their Golden Core [the solidified spiritual core of a high-level cultivator].

This was especially true for Elara Lin. Possessing a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare and potent innate talent for cultivation], she had a twenty percent chance of breaking through unaided. Now, having reached the Pseudo-Core Realm, if she could obtain another Golden Core Formation Pill, her odds of forming her Golden Core would be significantly higher.

While this path would likely result in a Lower-Tier Golden Core [a Golden Core of lesser purity and potential], achieving the Golden Core Realm earlier might grant her one more opportunity in the distant future to attempt the Infant Soul Realm [the realm where the cultivator's spirit separates from and nourishes the Golden Core].

In truth, given Elara Lin's innate talent, she could attempt to break through to the Golden Core Realm without external aids. However, doing so would drastically reduce her probability of success.

The most crucial aspect was that the Golden Core Formation Pill could stabilize the Pseudo-Core Realm, granting a cultivator a one hundred percent certainty of remaining in that transitional state without regression.

Without the aid of a Golden Core Formation Pill [a rare and precious pill that aids in the formation of a cultivator's Golden Core], the odds of a breakthrough attempt ending in failure are high. In such cases, there is only a fifty percent chance of stabilizing within the Pseudo-Core Realm [a flawed, unstable state between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core]. Should one fail to anchor themselves in this precarious state, the entire endeavor would be rendered utterly futile, all effort and preparation wasted.

Furthermore, there is another crucial distinction. Failing a Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, golden-hued core] breakthrough attempt with the assistance of a Golden Core Formation Pill typically results in a manageable setback, requiring only three decades of recuperation. However, attempting the breakthrough unaided by such external treasures carries a far graver risk. Failure in that circumstance invariably inflicts severe, lasting damage upon the cultivator's foundation. Published by https://audio-novel.com. All rights reserved.